LUCKNOW As the terror investigation unfolds into a suspected network of radicalised doctors, the family of Dr Shaheen Shahid — once a government medical lecturer in Kanpur — finds themselves grappling with disbelief and heartache, after it came to fore that the woman was alleged to be a key figure in the women’s wing of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
According to investigators, Shaheen Shahid, a doctor associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad, was among those arrested following Monday’s explosion near the Red Fort. Police suspect she was linked to Dr Muzammil Ganaie, another faculty member at the same university, who is alleged to have been part of a “white-collar terror module” with ties to proscribed outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind.
A senior ATS official confirmed that Shaheen visited Lucknow in August, but its not sure whether she met her family or not.
When HT visited her ancestral home in Hata Mustafa Khan, nestled in the bustling Khandari Bazar area under Qaiserbagh police jurisdiction, a heavy silence hung in the air. Shaheen’s ageing father, Saeed Ahmad Ansari, a retired health department officer, chose to keep himself secluded within the walls of their two-storey residence, as media persons gathered outside, eager for answers.
Just the day before, Ansari shared that he had spoken to Shaheen over the phone about a month ago, unable to comprehend how her name could be connected to such alarming accusations.
{{/usCountry}}Just the day before, Ansari shared that he had spoken to Shaheen over the phone about a month ago, unable to comprehend how her name could be connected to such alarming accusations.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Zafar Hayat, Shaheen’s ex-husband and an eye specialist at a hospital in Kanpur, reminisced about her once-bright future, saying: “She was always a topper, always dedicated to her patients.” Hayat was married to Shaheen in 2003 and has two kids from their marriage that lasted around 12 years before their divorce in 2015.
Hayat said he has not been in touch with Shaheen since then. The kids used to stay with their father.
While majority of neighbours too locked themselves inside their house and refused to talk to anyone, some of them echoed the same story, replying to queries. They said the family hardly spoke to anyone and they didn’t even know she had kids.
Arshad Khan, who lives next to Shaheen’s house, said: “She rarely came here. I don’t even know exactly who lives in the house. She had come about two years ago, and hasn’t been seen since.”
Mohd Chand Siddique, 35, another neighbour, said: “We have never seen Shahaeen and Parvez. However, the father and his elder brother are nice people and are very reserved.”
Razia, 55, who has been living a few metres from Ansari’s house for 40 years, said: “We have never seen Shaheen or her brother Parvez here. We have only seen their father.”
“I may have seen them only in childhood. I don’t remember if I have come across them recently,” recalled Nasreen (choti), who also lives close by.
Dr Shaheen’s journey
Dr Shaheen Shahid’s journey began in Lucknow, where she studied in a government school before topping the CPMT exam and joining Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, in 1996. After completing her MBBS and MD in Pharmacology, she was selected through the UP Public Service Commission in 2006 as an assistant professor at Kanpur’s GSVM Medical College.
But her life began to unravel after her divorce when she came in contact with Dr Muzammil Shahid at a private medical university in Faridabad — a man now accused of recruiting her into the JeM network. Shahid allegedly taught at the university for some time before vanishing from public life.
By 2021, her government job had been terminated for repeated absences. Since then, she is believed to have been living in rented flats in Faridabad and Gurugram, frequently travelling to Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir.