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Red Fort blast case: NIA, J&K Police raid Al-Falah college; four doctors under lens
Al-Falah’s four doctors linked to the Red Fort blast; NAAC issues show-cause for false accreditation, deepening trouble for the Faridabad university.
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Once known for its sprawling green campus on the outskirts of Delhi-NCR, Al-Falah Medical College in Faridabad is now under intense scrutiny after investigators described it as a “refuge for terror-linked individuals operating under professional cover.”
A joint team of the Jammu & Kashmir Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday searched the Dhauj-based medical college, which has emerged as the common link in the Red Fort blast case that killed 10 people earlier this week. Four doctors associated with the college — Dr Umar Un-Nabi, Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganaei, Dr Shaheen Shahid, and Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan — have come under the scanner for alleged connections to the terror module behind the attack.
Investigators say Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, dismissed in 2022 by the Jammu and Kashmir administration under Article 311(2)(C) for “posing a threat to state security,” was reportedly employed by Al-Falah Medical College. His dismissal order accused him of using the Doctors Association of Kashmir, which he headed, to spread secessionist propaganda under Pakistani patronage.
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Police officials said that Nisar “found refuge here under a new identity”. “This points to either gross negligence or complicity in recruitment,” said a senior J&K Police officer.
Hassan has been missing since Monday’s blast.
Al-Falah University vice chancellor Bhupinder Kaur in a statement on Wednesday said that the institution has no connection to the doctors arrested in connection with the terror module busted in Faridabad and the Delhi Red Fort blast “apart from them working in their official capacity”. Kaur addressed allegations against doctors connected to the university who have been arrested with huge amounts of ammonium nitrate and weapons. She said that no such chemicals are stored within the campus premises and the university was extending support to the security agencies in probe. She did not comment on Hassan’s termination.
The university’s statement has not cut any ice with investigators.
“When four doctors from one campus are connected to a terror network, it’s not coincidence — it’s a pattern,” said an officer. “Al-Falah has effectively become a refuge for individuals seeking to mask ideology behind medical degrees.”
As the investigation deepens, officers are now calling for a full audit of private universities employing personnel from sensitive regions without adequate background checks. “Institutions of learning cannot become shelters for those plotting against the nation,” said an IG-rank officer from J&K.
Also Read | Red Fort blast a heinous terror act, probe on to identify perpetrators: Cabinet
Investigating agencies have so far questioned over 70 resident doctors, senior faculty members, and students of Al-Falah Medical College to piece together how the network operated within the campus.
A fourth-year student of the college said that Dr Al Nabi and Dr Ganaei often remained absent from campus for days without notice, raising questions about their commitment and accountability. “They were not professional at all and lacked the skills to teach — it’s a big question how such people were even hired.”
India’s medical education regulator National Medical Commission (NMC) said it is monitoring the investigation.
“The matter is currently under investigation. As the medical regulatory authority, NMC will take appropriate action in accordance with statutory regulations once the findings of the investigating agencies are received,” a senior NMC official told HT.
While the private university established in 2014 is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), its medical school got approval from NMC to admit the first batch of MBBS in 2019.
Al-Falah University, established in 2014 by the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, offers a wide range of programmes in engineering, medical and health sciences, management (MBA), commerce, science, humanities, and teacher education, along with diploma and doctoral (PhD) courses. The trust had earlier founded an engineering college in 1997 and a teachers’ training school in 2006 before the institution gained university status in 2014.
While Al-Falah University’s website claims that its engineering and education schools are accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), officials said the accreditation has long expired. NAAC officials clarified that the university itself was never accredited — its engineering college received an A grade in 2013 and its teacher education school in 2011, both of which have since lapsed, as accreditation is valid for five years.
NAAC director professor Ganesan Kannabiran on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to the university for falsely claiming accreditation status. The notice added that the university itself has never been accredited or undergone assessment, yet continues to display “absolutely wrong and misleading” accreditation claims on its website, deceiving students, parents, and other stakeholders.
In the notice, NAAC outlined potential actions, questioning why the university should not be barred from future accreditation and why the council should not recommend that regulators such as the UGC, NMC, NCTE, AICTE, and the Haryana government withdraw recognition of its programmes or initiate action against it. The university has been directed to immediately remove all false accreditation claims from its website and public materials, report compliance to NAAC, and respond to the notice within seven days.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh police have started looking into the antecedents of Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, a resident of Mhow, Indore, who moved to Faridabad 25 years ago and started Al-Falah.
Meanwhile, an atmosphere of unease and tension prevails among students and faculty. Students expressed fear and confusion as investigators continued to question resident doctors and staff linked to the accused. “We are scared and shocked. No one expected something like this to happen in a medical institution,” said a second-year student. The college administration has increased security on campus.
