A doctor from the Al Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad is now being investigated as the prime suspect, the man driving the i20 car that exploded near Red Fort in Delhi on Monday evening, killing at least 12 and injuring more than 20.
A day before the car blast, the Jammu and Kashmir Police busted an "interstate and trans-national terror module" — purportedly linked to banned terrorist organisations Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) — and recovered a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives.
During the course of the investigation, seven accused were arrested, all residents of J&K. Among them, the first to be arrested was Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai, who worked at Al Falah University's medical school in Faridabad, Haryana.
As the police conducts coordinated searches in J&K and other states, investigating into what it termed a "white collar terror ecosystem," the name of Al Falah University has come into the spotlight. The University on Wednesday, 12 November issued a statement distancing itself from the accused.
Who are the doctors arrested by investigating agencies, what is their association with the Al Falah University, and what has the university said — let's take a closer look:
'Delhi Car Blast Prime Suspect Employed at Al Falah University'
The Al Falah University, located in Dhauj village of Faridabad, is a private university recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and offers various professional courses including MBBS.
Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganai, a resident of Pulwama, was employed at the Al Falah hospital. The police reportedly said they seized 358 kg of explosives, suspected to be ammonium nitrate, from Ganai’s rented home in Dhauj village. His arrest led to the arrest of Dr Adeel Rather — who was a resident at Government Medical College, Anantnag — in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur.
Police sources told The Indian Express that a third doctor, Dr Umar Nabi, who had been missing since Ganai's arrest, is the likely bomber and the person driving the explosives-laden Hyundai i20, as captured on CCTV.
Nabi, who reportedly completed his MBBS and MD from GMC, Anantnag, had moved to Faridabad a year-and-a-half ago and joined the Al Falah University’s School of Medical Sciences and Research as an Assistant Professor. Nabi and Ganai both were residents of the Koil village in Pulwama.
In the wake of the Delhi blast, Nabi's father Ghulam Nabi Bhat and brothers — Zahoor and Ashiq — were reportedly picked up for questioning while his mother was reportedly taken for DNA sampling.
'Lucknow Doctor Linked to Faridabad Module Also Employed at Al Falah'
On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Police and the J&K Police conducted searches in Lucknow and arrested Dr Shaheen Shahid Ansari for alleged links with the Faridabad terror module bust. Dr Shaheen was also employed at the Al Falah University's medical school, where she reportedly came into contact with Ganai.
According to The Indian Express, it is suspected that Ganai used her car, and when raids were conducted following his arrest, a weapon was recovered inside.
A report in The Times of India claims that Dr Shaheen was part of Jaish-e-Mohammed’s women recruitment wing in India and is believed to have been in contact with a handler in Pakistan.
Investigating agencies are probing the link between the Faridabad terror module bust and the Delhi car blast.
'University Has No Connection With Suspects, Accused'
Al Falah University's Vice Chancellor Bhupinder Kaur Anand issued a public statement on Wednesday. It said, "We have learnt that two of our doctors have been detained by Investigating Agencies. We wish to make it clear that the University has no connection with the said persons apart from them being working in their official capacities with the University."
"It is also hereby clarified that no such chemical or material, as is being alleged by certain platforms, is being used, stored or handled in the University premises," the statement read.
The university said that it was extending its full cooperation to the concerned investigating authorities.
According to the university's website, Al Falah University is run by Al-Falah Charitable Trust, which has been running three colleges — graded A by NAAC — on its Dhauj campus. Al-Falah Hospital, a part of the Al Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, is a 650-bed charitable hospital.
The Faridabad Police also issued a clarification, dismissing news that the i20 car that exploded near the Red Fort on Monday evening had been at the Al Falah University for the past 10-11 days. "The Faridabad police does not officially confirm this and refutes this news," police said in a post on X.