The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Delhi Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have written to hospitals and clinics across the National Capital Region seeking information on doctors who obtained their medical degrees from Pakistan, Bangladesh, the UAE and China, according to a document reviewed by HT, and people familiar with the matter.
The move comes as the agencies continue to investigate the Pulwama-Faridabad terror module responsible for the suicide bombing terror attack near the Red Fort on November 10 in which at least 12 people died. Most of the members of the module are doctors. Police said some of the doctors being probed are suspected to have secured their MBBS, MS, and MD degrees from China and Bangladesh.
While officials in the agencies said the note is part of an effort to identify potential associates or sympathisers of the module’s members, the hospitals and clinics are concerned that the exercise may turn into a witch hunt. The notice seeks granular data on these medical professionals, including contact details, tenure of employment and academic documentation. While most hospitals have begun compiling the information, some have advised the agencies to approach the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), the statutory body that maintains the official registry of doctors practising in the city.
Members of the DMC aware of the issue said very few Delhi students travel to Pakistan or Bangladesh for MBBS studies, whereas many more choose China and the UAE. They noted that no official figures have been released. HT’s queries to DMC director general Vatsala Aggarwal went unanswered.
{{/usCountry}}Members of the DMC aware of the issue said very few Delhi students travel to Pakistan or Bangladesh for MBBS studies, whereas many more choose China and the UAE. They noted that no official figures have been released. HT’s queries to DMC director general Vatsala Aggarwal went unanswered.
{{/usCountry}}The Delhi health minister Pankaj Singh stated, “We have received the notice today. We have told the officials to prepare a report on how many students are there who have these degree and a report for the same will be submitted in the coming days for the same.”
A senior Delhi Police officer, asking not to be named said the objective is to map the academic and personal networks of the module’s suspected operatives, particularly the alleged mastermind, Dr Umar Un Nabi, who studied at Government Medical College in Srinagar. “Agencies will question all doctors who completed their degrees from these four countries. Their criminal antecedents and financial transactions will be examined to rule out any association with the module.”
Officials stressed that the outreach to hospitals is “preventive and investigative” in nature and does not imply wrongdoing by foreign-educated doctors. However, they added that recent evidence has prompted agencies to revisit past travel histories, communication patterns and financial records of individuals connected to the module’s members.