The Al-Falah University in Faridabad, near Delhi, in an official statement denied any connection with the doctors accused in the Red Fort blast case. "We have no connection other than them working in their official capacities," the university added.
The university campus in the Muslim-dominated Dhauj village of Haryana’s Faridabad district has come under intense scrutiny after the arrest of three doctors in connection with the so-called “white-collar terror module” and the high-intensity explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 12 people on Monday evening.
University Was Being Used As Safe Haven: Investigators
Investigators say that educated individuals, allegedly acting at the behest of Pakistan-backed handlers, were using the university’s premises as a safe haven. The revelation has prompted security agencies to probe how an institution of higher learning could have become a base for radical operations.
According to its official website, Al-Falah University was established under the Haryana Private Universities Act passed by the state Legislative Assembly. It began as an engineering college in 1997 and received an ‘A’ grade accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in 2013. The following year, the Haryana government granted it university status. The Al-Falah Medical College functions under its umbrella.
In its formative years, the university was considered an attractive alternative to Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia for minority students. Managed by the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, founded in 1995, the institution is located barely 30 kilometres from Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia.
The trust is chaired by Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, with Mufti Abdullah Qasimi serving as vice-chairman and Mohammad Wajid as secretary. The university’s current Vice-Chancellor is Dr Bhupinder Kaur Anand, and its Registrar is Prof (Dr) Mohammad Parvez.
The campus houses three major colleges, Al-Falah School of Engineering and Technology, Brown Hill College of Engineering and Technology, and Al-Falah School of Education and Training, and includes a 650-bed hospital that provides free medical care.
Heavy Police Force Near The University
On Tuesday, police teams inspected the campus throughout the day and questioned several individuals as part of the ongoing investigation.
The blast near Red Fort metro station occurred around 6:52 pm on Monday, when an explosive-laden Hyundai i20 car detonated, killing 12 and injuring several others. The suspected bomber, Dr Mohammad Umar Nabi from Pulwama, who allegedly drove the car, was an assistant professor at Al-Falah University.
The explosion came just hours after eight people, including three doctors affiliated with the university, were arrested and 2,900 kilograms of explosives seized in what officials have described as the unearthing of a sophisticated terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Among those arrested was Dr Muzammil Ganaie, also a faculty member at Al-Falah University. Investigators suspect the module’s activities were coordinated from within the university campus, and links to Pakistan-based handlers are now under active probe.