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The History-Sheeter
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2026
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October 15, 2026
This book depicts Dr Kafeel khan's journey after being acquitted in the Gorakhpur tragedy case, showing how, even after his acquittal his struggles didn't end.
Any other person would have moved on and stayed silent, but he raised his voice again to do what he felt was right, which spiraled into something he was not prepared for.
Circumstances once again forced him to face trial. The book details his struggles inside confinement and his family outside, with both sides fighting their own battles.
It captures many heart-shattering moments- being so famished that he chewed not just on blades of grass, but on his own shirt, shamelessly begging for food and water because nothing else mattered.
One particular moment etched in my memory is when he was granted just a few minutes to call home; hearing his child recite a poem instead of asking for updates on his case made me deeply emotional. Another moment that hit hard was when his son woke up scared of him , unable to recognize his own father.
The History Sheeter is not just a memoir, it is a story of his journey, his convictions, his fight for justice, and his triumph over everything he initially feared.
Any other person would have moved on and stayed silent, but he raised his voice again to do what he felt was right, which spiraled into something he was not prepared for.
Circumstances once again forced him to face trial. The book details his struggles inside confinement and his family outside, with both sides fighting their own battles.
It captures many heart-shattering moments- being so famished that he chewed not just on blades of grass, but on his own shirt, shamelessly begging for food and water because nothing else mattered.
One particular moment etched in my memory is when he was granted just a few minutes to call home; hearing his child recite a poem instead of asking for updates on his case made me deeply emotional. Another moment that hit hard was when his son woke up scared of him , unable to recognize his own father.
The History Sheeter is not just a memoir, it is a story of his journey, his convictions, his fight for justice, and his triumph over everything he initially feared.
September 17, 2026
I had read, Dr Kafeel's first book about the Gorakhpur tragedy back in 2021, so this is not my first encounter with his story. And the very first thing I want to say is that I do not sympathise with Dr. Kafeel Khan.
There is a difference between sympathy and respect. Sympathy, for me, places someone in the position of a victim. And I don't see Dr. Kafeel Khan merely as a victim of a system. I see him as someone who stood against a system, spoke truth to power, and continued to raise his voice even when the consequences could have broken him completely.
Think about what it takes to continue speaking when you have been suspended, arrested, jailed, humiliated and made to fight one battle after another. Most people would have chosen silence somewhere along the way. And honestly, who could blame them?
I don't want to reduce what he endured to something that simply deserves our pity. I would rather acknowledge his courage, resilience and, above all, his refusal to let fear become the reason for his silence.
That doesn't mean I did not feel the pain of what happened to him and, more importantly, to the people around him.
I felt it deeply for his family. For his brother who was shot. For his mamu, who was shot dead in what was presented as a family land dispute. For his wife, Shabista, and their two very young children, Zab and Oli. Somewhere, perhaps because I am a woman, I felt the helplessness of the women in his life very personally.
There is a moment in the book when his mother tells him over the phone, “Enough of this, Kafeel. Please remember that you are no longer living just for yourself, but for Shabista and the children.”
I could feel the weight behind those words. The fear of a mother who has already seen her son suffer, the anxiety of a wife waiting for her husband to return, and the helplessness of a family forced to watch someone they love go through something they cannot protect him from.
I found myself wondering, if something like this ever happened to me or to someone in my own family, how would I cope with it? How would I watch someone I love being taken away, humiliated and imprisoned, and still find the strength to carry on?
But alongside that pain, I also felt an immense sense of pride.
Because despite everything that happened to him and everything that happened around him, Dr. Kafeel Khan found the courage to come out and document his own history. To put his version of events into words. To refuse to let someone else write the entire story for him. And that is what makes this book so powerful for me.
Dr. Kafeel Khan is a name I don't think needs an introduction. But before reading his book, The History Sheeter, I found myself going back to his first book, to the night that changed his life forever.
Imagine being a state-appointed doctor, bound by the most fundamental oath of your profession: to save lives. Now imagine arriving at a hospital where children are dying because the supply of oxygen has run out. What would you do?
Dr. Kafeel Khan acted. He arranged oxygen cylinders, rushed to get whatever supplies he could, and tried to save as many children as possible.
The tragedy unfolded at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on 10 August 2017. Over approximately 54 hours, 63 infants and 18 adults died amid the oxygen-supply crisis. And yet, instead of being remembered simply as the doctor who tried to save lives that night, Dr. Kafeel Khan soon found himself suspended, accused and eventually arrested.
On 2 September 2017, he was arrested. And this marked the beginning of a long and exhausting journey of suspensions, accusations, courtrooms and imprisonment, where the line between punishment and persecution seems to blur with every passing day.
After the Gorakhpur case, there were moments when the courts came to his rescue, but freedom never seemed to last for long.
During the CAA-NRC protests in December 2019, Dr. Kafeel Khan delivered a speech at Aligarh Muslim University. What followed was another arrest, another period of imprisonment and another battle through the legal system.
His account of his time in Mathura jail is among the most disturbing portions of the book. He describes deprivation, solitary confinement, hunger, thirst and the psychological toll of being isolated and treated without dignity.
There were moments while reading those pages when I had to pause. Imagine being deprived of something as basic as water to the point that your mind begins to fracture. His descriptions are difficult to read because they are not abstract accounts of suffering. They are memories of someone who was actually there.
Even when bail was eventually granted, freedom did not come easily. The National Security Act was invoked against him, extending a period of incarceration that had already taken a tremendous toll.
And this is what makes Dr. Kafeel Khan's story so unsettling. It is not simply the story of one doctor who went to prison. It is the story of how easily a person can be transformed, through allegations, bureaucracy and the machinery of the state, from a lifesaver into an accused, from an accused into a prisoner, and from a prisoner into a threat.
One thing that stayed with me was how, even during his imprisonment and the terrifying days of COVID-19, the doctor in Dr. Kafeel Khan never disappeared.
Even behind bars, he kept himself informed about the pandemic and went a step further by writing a letter to the Prime Minister of India, warning about the approaching pandemic and suggesting measures that could help contain it.
The doctor in him never subsided.
There is, of course, a lot on record about what happened and how he was eventually released. But there are also parts of his life after his release that we know little about, and it is these experiences that Dr. Kafeel Khan brings to us through this book.
Whatever I capture in this review can only scratch the surface. Reading about these experiences is one thing, but reading them in the words of the person who actually lived through them is entirely different. There were moments when his writing felt like a pin piercing through the skin, so visceral and painful was the experience of reading it.
I will leave this review with one final thought. Dr. Kafeel Khan, in an era where citizens are often expected to remain silent and keep their mouths shut, had the courage to speak.
He does not need our sympathy.
Having read both his books, I have realised just how harrowing and painful his account of life has been, and yet, he continues to move forward.
Today, he is termed a “history sheeter” by the Uttar Pradesh government, despite never having been convicted of a crime. And perhaps that itself tells us something about the darker side of the system that this book exposes.
Dr. Kafeel Khan: The History Sheeter is not merely the story of one man. It is a record of what happens when an individual refuses to surrender his voice.
As an author, Dr. Kafeel Khan's greatest strength is the rawness and immediacy of his voice. His writing feels more like a personal testimony than a polished literary narrative, and the emotional intensity can occasionally become repetitive. Yet, given that he is documenting his own lived experience, that rawness is also what makes his account so powerful. He has room to develop further as a writer, but his voice is undeniably compelling.
There is a difference between sympathy and respect. Sympathy, for me, places someone in the position of a victim. And I don't see Dr. Kafeel Khan merely as a victim of a system. I see him as someone who stood against a system, spoke truth to power, and continued to raise his voice even when the consequences could have broken him completely.
Think about what it takes to continue speaking when you have been suspended, arrested, jailed, humiliated and made to fight one battle after another. Most people would have chosen silence somewhere along the way. And honestly, who could blame them?
I don't want to reduce what he endured to something that simply deserves our pity. I would rather acknowledge his courage, resilience and, above all, his refusal to let fear become the reason for his silence.
That doesn't mean I did not feel the pain of what happened to him and, more importantly, to the people around him.
I felt it deeply for his family. For his brother who was shot. For his mamu, who was shot dead in what was presented as a family land dispute. For his wife, Shabista, and their two very young children, Zab and Oli. Somewhere, perhaps because I am a woman, I felt the helplessness of the women in his life very personally.
There is a moment in the book when his mother tells him over the phone, “Enough of this, Kafeel. Please remember that you are no longer living just for yourself, but for Shabista and the children.”
I could feel the weight behind those words. The fear of a mother who has already seen her son suffer, the anxiety of a wife waiting for her husband to return, and the helplessness of a family forced to watch someone they love go through something they cannot protect him from.
I found myself wondering, if something like this ever happened to me or to someone in my own family, how would I cope with it? How would I watch someone I love being taken away, humiliated and imprisoned, and still find the strength to carry on?
But alongside that pain, I also felt an immense sense of pride.
Because despite everything that happened to him and everything that happened around him, Dr. Kafeel Khan found the courage to come out and document his own history. To put his version of events into words. To refuse to let someone else write the entire story for him. And that is what makes this book so powerful for me.
Dr. Kafeel Khan is a name I don't think needs an introduction. But before reading his book, The History Sheeter, I found myself going back to his first book, to the night that changed his life forever.
Imagine being a state-appointed doctor, bound by the most fundamental oath of your profession: to save lives. Now imagine arriving at a hospital where children are dying because the supply of oxygen has run out. What would you do?
Dr. Kafeel Khan acted. He arranged oxygen cylinders, rushed to get whatever supplies he could, and tried to save as many children as possible.
The tragedy unfolded at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on 10 August 2017. Over approximately 54 hours, 63 infants and 18 adults died amid the oxygen-supply crisis. And yet, instead of being remembered simply as the doctor who tried to save lives that night, Dr. Kafeel Khan soon found himself suspended, accused and eventually arrested.
On 2 September 2017, he was arrested. And this marked the beginning of a long and exhausting journey of suspensions, accusations, courtrooms and imprisonment, where the line between punishment and persecution seems to blur with every passing day.
After the Gorakhpur case, there were moments when the courts came to his rescue, but freedom never seemed to last for long.
During the CAA-NRC protests in December 2019, Dr. Kafeel Khan delivered a speech at Aligarh Muslim University. What followed was another arrest, another period of imprisonment and another battle through the legal system.
His account of his time in Mathura jail is among the most disturbing portions of the book. He describes deprivation, solitary confinement, hunger, thirst and the psychological toll of being isolated and treated without dignity.
There were moments while reading those pages when I had to pause. Imagine being deprived of something as basic as water to the point that your mind begins to fracture. His descriptions are difficult to read because they are not abstract accounts of suffering. They are memories of someone who was actually there.
Even when bail was eventually granted, freedom did not come easily. The National Security Act was invoked against him, extending a period of incarceration that had already taken a tremendous toll.
And this is what makes Dr. Kafeel Khan's story so unsettling. It is not simply the story of one doctor who went to prison. It is the story of how easily a person can be transformed, through allegations, bureaucracy and the machinery of the state, from a lifesaver into an accused, from an accused into a prisoner, and from a prisoner into a threat.
One thing that stayed with me was how, even during his imprisonment and the terrifying days of COVID-19, the doctor in Dr. Kafeel Khan never disappeared.
Even behind bars, he kept himself informed about the pandemic and went a step further by writing a letter to the Prime Minister of India, warning about the approaching pandemic and suggesting measures that could help contain it.
The doctor in him never subsided.
There is, of course, a lot on record about what happened and how he was eventually released. But there are also parts of his life after his release that we know little about, and it is these experiences that Dr. Kafeel Khan brings to us through this book.
Whatever I capture in this review can only scratch the surface. Reading about these experiences is one thing, but reading them in the words of the person who actually lived through them is entirely different. There were moments when his writing felt like a pin piercing through the skin, so visceral and painful was the experience of reading it.
I will leave this review with one final thought. Dr. Kafeel Khan, in an era where citizens are often expected to remain silent and keep their mouths shut, had the courage to speak.
He does not need our sympathy.
Having read both his books, I have realised just how harrowing and painful his account of life has been, and yet, he continues to move forward.
Today, he is termed a “history sheeter” by the Uttar Pradesh government, despite never having been convicted of a crime. And perhaps that itself tells us something about the darker side of the system that this book exposes.
Dr. Kafeel Khan: The History Sheeter is not merely the story of one man. It is a record of what happens when an individual refuses to surrender his voice.
As an author, Dr. Kafeel Khan's greatest strength is the rawness and immediacy of his voice. His writing feels more like a personal testimony than a polished literary narrative, and the emotional intensity can occasionally become repetitive. Yet, given that he is documenting his own lived experience, that rawness is also what makes his account so powerful. He has room to develop further as a writer, but his voice is undeniably compelling.
October 15, 2026
-When Every Good Deed Turns to Dust-
Review of The History-Sheeter by Kafeel Khan
Quote Alert
"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐩𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐱𝐲𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐱𝐲𝐠𝐞𝐧, 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭 (𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐔) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭 (𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐔) 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫-𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬."
Those who follow politics especially regional politics must be aware of the name of doctor Khan. He has been associated with an oxygen cylinder situation in up that took lives of many newborns. He found himself being blamed for the entire fiasco and was even jailed. I followed this in newspaper and was shocked and dismayed with the vengeance meted out to him and the scope of tragedy that was denied by the UP government. This book is not about the actual tragedy but about what unfolded after that.
So what's the book about? It's a sequel to The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy. In 2018, Dr Kafeel Khan was released from prison after being wrongly accused in the Gorakhpur B.R.D. Medical College case. He went on to write an acclaimed book on this ordeal. But what followed his release was worse. Within a few months, Dr Khan was arrested again, this time for making a speech at Aligarh Muslim University. The Uttar Pradesh government held him under the National Security Act.When he was finally released nine months later, Dr Khan was no longer simply an innocent and wronged doctor –the notoriety of the case and his outspoken fight for justice made him a permanent enemy of the state.
This is Dr Khan’s searing account of his third arrest, from his incarceration through the Covid-19 pandemic to his story being fictionalized in Shah Rukh Khan’s film Jawan. Heartbreaking, shocking and infuriating, The History-Sheeter reveals the darkest side of the Indian state and shows how dissent is punished, criminalized and crushed.
The book is as harrowing as it is honest. A bold and straightforward attempt to clear the clouds over this unfortunate incident.
He writes:
"With my children, I had tried to navigate them as carefully as I could around the topic of competing religions. When they questioned me about God–Allah–Bhagwan, I would say it is a Huge Energy that protects us all and can be seen in all living creatures. I wanted to leave them the space to carve out their own beliefs and gain strength from them. Yet it seemed as if these beliefs were being labelled and attacked when the children were still only 2 feet tall, or perhaps from their very moment of birth."
Pick it up today.
Review of The History-Sheeter by Kafeel Khan
Quote Alert
"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐡𝐩𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐱𝐲𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐱𝐲𝐠𝐞𝐧, 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭 (𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐔) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭 (𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐔) 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐚 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫-𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬."
Those who follow politics especially regional politics must be aware of the name of doctor Khan. He has been associated with an oxygen cylinder situation in up that took lives of many newborns. He found himself being blamed for the entire fiasco and was even jailed. I followed this in newspaper and was shocked and dismayed with the vengeance meted out to him and the scope of tragedy that was denied by the UP government. This book is not about the actual tragedy but about what unfolded after that.
So what's the book about? It's a sequel to The Gorakhpur Hospital Tragedy. In 2018, Dr Kafeel Khan was released from prison after being wrongly accused in the Gorakhpur B.R.D. Medical College case. He went on to write an acclaimed book on this ordeal. But what followed his release was worse. Within a few months, Dr Khan was arrested again, this time for making a speech at Aligarh Muslim University. The Uttar Pradesh government held him under the National Security Act.When he was finally released nine months later, Dr Khan was no longer simply an innocent and wronged doctor –the notoriety of the case and his outspoken fight for justice made him a permanent enemy of the state.
This is Dr Khan’s searing account of his third arrest, from his incarceration through the Covid-19 pandemic to his story being fictionalized in Shah Rukh Khan’s film Jawan. Heartbreaking, shocking and infuriating, The History-Sheeter reveals the darkest side of the Indian state and shows how dissent is punished, criminalized and crushed.
The book is as harrowing as it is honest. A bold and straightforward attempt to clear the clouds over this unfortunate incident.
He writes:
"With my children, I had tried to navigate them as carefully as I could around the topic of competing religions. When they questioned me about God–Allah–Bhagwan, I would say it is a Huge Energy that protects us all and can be seen in all living creatures. I wanted to leave them the space to carve out their own beliefs and gain strength from them. Yet it seemed as if these beliefs were being labelled and attacked when the children were still only 2 feet tall, or perhaps from their very moment of birth."
Pick it up today.
October 23, 2026
Dr. Kafeel Khan's latest memoir runs down the lane of his nightmare that began back in 2017, when dozens of children tragically died due to an oxygen shortage at Gorakhpur's BRD Medical College. Despite his frantic efforts to save those kids, he was scapegoated, falsely accused of negligence, and arrested. His fight to prove his innocence and get released was long and brutal, but the nightmare didn't end there. Months later, after he gave a speech voicing his thoughts and concerns at AMU, he was arrested yet again and slapped with the National Security Act.
Even after Mr. Khan's eventual release, there was no end to the atrocities and state surveillance he went through. What gives this book the grave density are the actual evidences given—the official notices, court orders, photographs, and news headlines that make it impossible to look the other way.
The way he jotted down his time completely unfiltered exposes the predatory side of the system that leaves no one unbeaten. The sheer emotional weight can feel overwhelming at times, but that exact lack of filter is what makes this personal testimony so terrifyingly real and necessary to read, especially considering the current times.
A little coincidence was that when I started reading this book, I was in Aligarh, and it was a daunting realization that the places I walk so ordinarily are not so ordinary after all—they have witnessed such bold voices and heavy days. What stayed with me deeply from his story—something I'll be thinking about for a very long time—was the tender note he wrote for his kids, which ends with: "Whatever you become in life, be kind."
In an era where we are increasingly expected to stay quiet and keep our heads down, Dr. Khan showed the courage to speak up regardless of the cost. Ultimately, that is what this book leaves you with—the vital need for a voice bold enough that no system can ever suppress it.
Even after Mr. Khan's eventual release, there was no end to the atrocities and state surveillance he went through. What gives this book the grave density are the actual evidences given—the official notices, court orders, photographs, and news headlines that make it impossible to look the other way.
The way he jotted down his time completely unfiltered exposes the predatory side of the system that leaves no one unbeaten. The sheer emotional weight can feel overwhelming at times, but that exact lack of filter is what makes this personal testimony so terrifyingly real and necessary to read, especially considering the current times.
A little coincidence was that when I started reading this book, I was in Aligarh, and it was a daunting realization that the places I walk so ordinarily are not so ordinary after all—they have witnessed such bold voices and heavy days. What stayed with me deeply from his story—something I'll be thinking about for a very long time—was the tender note he wrote for his kids, which ends with: "Whatever you become in life, be kind."
In an era where we are increasingly expected to stay quiet and keep our heads down, Dr. Khan showed the courage to speak up regardless of the cost. Ultimately, that is what this book leaves you with—the vital need for a voice bold enough that no system can ever suppress it.
October 11, 2026
The history sheeter gives a thoughtful memoir to readers a glimpse of The author's personal professional struggles. This book explores themes like imprisonment,legal battles and the consequences of standing up for what he believes.
What makes the memoir interesting is his honest account of emotional and financial difficulties faced by his family, and he labelled the challenges as History - sheeter. The book also raises questions about civil liberties, institutional accountability,justice and the human cost of speaking the truth .
It reminds us that behind every headline,there is a human story filled with lots of struggles, emotions and consequences which are not visible to the outside world.
It also highlights the importance of keeping a record of events and experiences so that they are not forgotten with time. This book encourages readers to look beyond the surface and question the realities surrounding justice
The writing is so engaging and accessible. The narrative is so easy to follow. It also serves a record to contemporary india and the importance of individual courage.
Overall it's an intense,honest and eye-opening read that leaves readers thinking about justice, truth and the price of dissent. If you are interested in memoirs and human rights then give this one a try
What makes the memoir interesting is his honest account of emotional and financial difficulties faced by his family, and he labelled the challenges as History - sheeter. The book also raises questions about civil liberties, institutional accountability,justice and the human cost of speaking the truth .
It reminds us that behind every headline,there is a human story filled with lots of struggles, emotions and consequences which are not visible to the outside world.
It also highlights the importance of keeping a record of events and experiences so that they are not forgotten with time. This book encourages readers to look beyond the surface and question the realities surrounding justice
The writing is so engaging and accessible. The narrative is so easy to follow. It also serves a record to contemporary india and the importance of individual courage.
Overall it's an intense,honest and eye-opening read that leaves readers thinking about justice, truth and the price of dissent. If you are interested in memoirs and human rights then give this one a try
November 7, 2026
This was my first time reading a book of this kind, and honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when I picked it up. But somewhere between the pages, it became less about the case and more about the person behind the story.
The book takes us through the BRD Medical College case and introduces us to Dr. Kafeel Khan’s journey through it. One thing that stayed with me was his undisputed vim and verve the courage, energy, and persistence with which he continued to speak, question, and stand his ground.
It also made me pause at the idea of being reduced to a label. “History sheeter” was a term I had heard before, but I had never really stopped to understand what it meant. Reading this book made me realise how easily a label can become someone’s identity in the eyes of the world, while the story behind that label remains unheard.
What I found most striking was the human side of the narrative the uncertainty, the pressure, the consequences of speaking up, and what happens when your life suddenly becomes part of a story much bigger than yourself.
I went into this book expecting to understand an incident.
I came out thinking more about the person who lived through it.
The book takes us through the BRD Medical College case and introduces us to Dr. Kafeel Khan’s journey through it. One thing that stayed with me was his undisputed vim and verve the courage, energy, and persistence with which he continued to speak, question, and stand his ground.
It also made me pause at the idea of being reduced to a label. “History sheeter” was a term I had heard before, but I had never really stopped to understand what it meant. Reading this book made me realise how easily a label can become someone’s identity in the eyes of the world, while the story behind that label remains unheard.
What I found most striking was the human side of the narrative the uncertainty, the pressure, the consequences of speaking up, and what happens when your life suddenly becomes part of a story much bigger than yourself.
I went into this book expecting to understand an incident.
I came out thinking more about the person who lived through it.
October 4, 2026
The history sheeter
Written by Dr. Kafeel khan, the history sheeter is the journey of an ordinary doctor to becoming a history sheeter for something he thought to do for the good of humanity.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The person who holds the pen could change the fate and story anytime. This is what I observed from this book.
The book describes his life in jails and the troubles he faced during his detention and further imprisonment followed by branding him as a terrorist while also showing the eerie coincidence of a popular propaganda always happening at the right time.
Dr khan also shows how he felt the eerie similarity with eeram khan case in jawan movie gave him a sense of validation among public and respect towards medical representatives show justice is delayed but not denied, but the further questioning and scrutiny he still faces and the suspension still prolonging today also makes us question, can one ever lose the past they were forced to bear?
Despite all this, I still believe india will pull through all the troubles and reach the vision of our freedom fighters for a pure and harmonious nation.
Written by Dr. Kafeel khan, the history sheeter is the journey of an ordinary doctor to becoming a history sheeter for something he thought to do for the good of humanity.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The person who holds the pen could change the fate and story anytime. This is what I observed from this book.
The book describes his life in jails and the troubles he faced during his detention and further imprisonment followed by branding him as a terrorist while also showing the eerie coincidence of a popular propaganda always happening at the right time.
Dr khan also shows how he felt the eerie similarity with eeram khan case in jawan movie gave him a sense of validation among public and respect towards medical representatives show justice is delayed but not denied, but the further questioning and scrutiny he still faces and the suspension still prolonging today also makes us question, can one ever lose the past they were forced to bear?
Despite all this, I still believe india will pull through all the troubles and reach the vision of our freedom fighters for a pure and harmonious nation.
October 22, 2026
The book is insightful considering I have never known this story. It was a testament to suffering and pain that many people face at the hands of the justice system. It was something new that I learned and since I haven’t read about the Gorakhpur Tragedy as well, this book made me intrigued about that as well.
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