UP Police question Pilibhit cleric, KGMU to expel junior doctor in rape case
Pilibhit/Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday questioned a Muslim cleric in Pilibhit as part of the ongoing investigation into a rape and religious conversion case involving a junior resident doctor of King George’s Medical University (KGMU), even as the varsity decided to expel the accused from its MD programme.
The cleric, Zahid Hasan Rana, the city Qazi of Pilibhit, was questioned by the Lucknow Police after his name emerged during the probe against KGMU junior doctor Dr Ramizuddin Naik. Police said they are verifying whether a marriage allegedly linked to the case was conducted in accordance with legal norms and the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
Speaking to reporters, Rana said he fully cooperated with the police and shared all details related to the marriage he had conducted. He denied any involvement in illegal activities and claimed that the woman who filed the complaint in Lucknow was not the same person whose nikah he had solemnised.
Rana said he conducted the nikah of Naik and a Hindu woman at his residence in March last year, in the presence of the woman’s parents and brother, and only after receiving their consent. He maintained that no religious conversion took place and that the nikahnama mentioned the woman’s original Hindu name. He also claimed that the woman continues to live with Naik and has not filed any complaint.
Meanwhile, KGMU spokesperson K K Singh said the university’s vice chancellor had briefed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on the case and the action taken so far. Official sources said vice chancellor Prof Sonia Nityanand met the chief minister in Lucknow and informed him about the findings of the university’s internal inquiry, including the Vishakha Committee report.
According to sources, the committee has found prima facie evidence supporting the allegations against the accused doctor. The vice chancellor also informed the chief minister that the university has decided to expel Naik from the MD course.
Naik was arrested on January 10 after a woman doctor at KGMU accused him of hiding his marital status, sexually exploiting her on the promise of marriage, forcing her to undergo an abortion, threatening her and pressuring her to convert her religion.
Police said they are also probing the case as a possible organised religious conversion racket and are examining whether it is linked to a larger network. The investigation, currently being handled by the Lucknow Police, may be transferred to the state’s Special Task Force. Further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and the role of other individuals named in the case.
(with inputs from agencies)
