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Lucknow doctor, Saharanpur physician among 10 named in NIA chargesheet in Red Fort blast case
NIA charges 10 suspects, including two doctors, in the 2025 Red Fort car bomb blast that killed 11, alleging links to Al-Qaida's faction in India.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday chargesheeted 10 accused in connection with the November 10, 2025 VBIED car bomb blast near the Red Fort that left 11 people dead and several injured. Among those named are two doctors with strong links to Uttar Pradesh — Lucknow resident Dr Shaheen Saeed and Saharanpur-based physician Dr Adil Ahmed Rather, senior NIA officials confirmed.
Officials said the agency on Wednesday submitted a nearly 7,500-page chargesheet before the special NIA court at Patiala House Courts in New Delhi, detailing what investigators described as a radical terror conspiracy involving educated professionals, including doctors allegedly associated with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), a faction linked to Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).
According to the NIA, the accused regrouped under a new formation called “AGuH Interim” after a failed attempt to travel to Afghanistan through Turkey. Investigators alleged that the module subsequently initiated a conspiracy code-named “Operation Heavenly Hind”, aimed at carrying out violent attacks and expanding extremist activities across India.
A senior NIA official informed that among those named in the chargesheet, Dr Shaheen Saeed’s profile has particularly stunned investigators because of her academic achievements and long association with Uttar Pradesh’s medical education system.
A native of Lucknow, Dr Shaheen studied at a government school before topping the Combined Pre-Medical Test (CPMT) and gaining admission to Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, in 1996. She later earned her MBBS and MD in Pharmacology, and in 2006 was selected through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission as an assistant professor at GSVM Medical College, Kanpur.
Investigators said Dr Shaheen’s personal and professional life reportedly began to deteriorate after her divorce, during which period she allegedly came into contact with co-accused Dr Muzamil Shakeel at a private medical university in Faridabad. Officials suspect that the association gradually led to her involvement in the alleged extremist network. According to the NIA, Dr Shaheen and Dr Muzamil Shakeel were arrested in Faridabad within hours of the November 10 blast near the Red Fort Metro station in Delhi.
Investigators claim she had gradually withdrawn from mainstream professional life over the past few years. Her government service was reportedly terminated in 2021 because of repeated unauthorised absence. Since then, she allegedly lived in rented flats in Faridabad and Gurugram while frequently travelling between Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir. Officials suspect she remained in active contact with members of the alleged terror module during this period.
The NIA official further stated that the second accused with Uttar Pradesh links, Dr Adil Ahmed Rather, was arrested from Saharanpur on November 7, 2025 — four days before the explosion. A resident of Qazigund in Jammu & Kashmir’s Anantnag district, the 31-year-old doctor had been working for nearly a year at a private hospital on Ambala Road in Saharanpur. A postgraduate specialist in internal medicine, Dr Adil had earlier served as senior resident at Government Medical College, Anantnag, before shifting to Uttar Pradesh for private medical practice in late 2024.
Investigators alleged he used professional contacts within the medical fraternity to maintain links across multiple states and expand the network discreetly. Following his arrest, teams from Jammu & Kashmir Police, Uttar Pradesh ATS and central intelligence agencies questioned hospital management, doctors and employees associated with him. CCTV footage, attendance records, communication details and other documents were examined as investigators attempted to map his activities during his stay in Saharanpur.
Hospital authorities, however, maintained during questioning that Dr Adil never displayed suspicious behaviour. Colleagues described him as quiet, reserved and professionally competent, saying he largely confined himself to OPD consultations and operation duties with minimal social interaction.
The NIA chargesheet alleged that the accused stockpiled arms and ammunition, fabricated improvised explosive devices and propagated violent jihadist ideology as part of the conspiracy. Investigators said the blast involved Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), a highly volatile explosive allegedly manufactured using commercially procured chemicals and laboratory equipment. The agency also claimed the accused experimented with explosives and procured specialised items, including electric circuits and other technical components, through online and offline channels.
The chargesheet has been filed under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. So far, 11 persons have been arrested in the case, while the NIA said efforts are continuing to identify and trace other suspects and absconders linked to the alleged terror network.
