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BJP vs Congress after Red Fort bomber's video justifying 'suicide attacks' goes viral
BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar claimed the bomber’s defence of suicide bombing “is not an accident” but the outcome of 'dangeous politics' by Congress.
A political slugfest erupted on Tuesday after the emergence of a video showing Red Fort bomber Dr Umar un Nabi defending suicide attacks, with the BJP accusing the Congress and its allies of fostering an environment that enables radicalisation, and the Congress urging political restraint until the investigation concludes.
BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, intensifying his attack, claimed the bomber’s defence of suicide bombing “is not an accident” but the outcome of what he called the “dangerous, shameless politics” of Rahul Gandhi’s Congress and its INDI bloc partners.
He alleged that alliances involving the Congress, CPM and groups like SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami in Kerala had created fertile ground for radicalisation of Muslim youth.
“This shameless politics lets Hamas spread hate in Kerala,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding that chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Rahul Gandhi “look away”. He said such politics is “not secularism” but “#APAKADAMPolitics” and “not the future we want”.
Earlier, Chandrasekhar had also warned that the “radicalisation of Muslim youth” posed a threat to all Indians, calling for political change in Kerala.
The Congress hit back, with Pawan Khera saying that the party would not make comments while the investigation is active. “Let us wait for the investigation to get over,” he said.
What is the controversial video of Dr Umar un Nabi?
Amid this political sparring, investigators continued examining the video that triggered the flare-up - a one-minute, 20-second clip of Umar un-Nabi, who drove the explosive-laden Hyundai i20 that detonated outside the Red Fort on November 10, killing at least 12 people.
Believed to have been recorded in April, the video shows Nabi delivering an English-language monologue defending suicide bombing and likening it to “martyrdom”.
The clip was recovered from a damaged mobile phone found in a waterbody near his home in Koil, Pulwama. Nabi had handed the phone to his brother, Zahoor Illahi, during a visit in September–October, telling him to dispose of it if “he ever heard news” about him.
After Illahi’s detention, he informed investigators about the device, enabling forensic experts to extract the video and other data.
No agency has officially confirmed retrieving the video, and its authenticity could not be independently verified, but officials aware of the probe said it is being examined as crucial evidence. Arrested members of the “white-collar” module will also be questioned about why it was recorded.
The National Investigation Agency has already established that the Faridabad-based doctor from Al Falah University carried out a vehicle-borne suicide bombing, with his identity confirmed through DNA samples matched to his mother. His two brothers and mother were detained following the confirmation.
Three doctors - Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Shaheen Shahid and Dr Adeel Rather - have been arrested so far. Investigators suspect Rather’s brother, Dr Muzzaffar, is in Afghanistan, and are also searching for Dr Nissar ul-Hassan. Several other doctors tied to the institutions where the accused studied or worked have been questioned.
