Who Runs Al Falah University, Where Doctors Linked To Delhi Red Fort Blast Worked

Two days after the deadly explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort Metro Station that killed at least 12 people, investigators have turned their attention to Al Falah University in Haryana’s Faridabad district.

Several of the accused in the case, including doctors and academics, were either alumni or employees of the institution, which is now being probed for possible links to a wider terror network.

Dr Umar Nabi, the suspected suicide attacker, was one of the university’s key faculty members. Two others, Dr Muzzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Shahid, arrested with arms, ammunition and explosive material, also worked at the university.

According to investigators, the probe has now expanded to examine whether laboratories or medical infrastructure on the university campus were misused to assemble improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Police have so far seized around 2,900 kilograms of explosive-making material, multiple weapons, and communication equipment believed to have been used by the suspects.

Who Runs Al Falah University?

Al Falah University, located only 30 kilometres from Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia, is managed by the Al Falah Charitable Trust, registered in Jamia Nagar, Okhla, New Delhi.

Beyond higher education, the trust, established in 1995, runs initiatives such as Falah Water Aid, Falah Food Aid and Falah Winter Aid, along with a cluster of institutions in Agon, Nuh district, including Shariqah Public School, Shariqah Islamic School, Shariqah Orphans Care Centre, and Madarasa Darul Falah.

A Rapidly Grown Institution

The Al Falah Medical College, now at the centre of the investigation, functions under Al Falah University’s Dhauj campus in Faridabad. The university, spread across 70 acres, started as an engineering college in 1997. In 2013, the Al-Falah Engineering College received ‘A’ category accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) of the University Grants Commission. In 2014, the Haryana government granted it university status.

The medical college added MBBS courses in 2019, followed by postgraduate classes in 2023.

Al Falah also has a small hospital with 650 beds, where doctors treat patients for free. According to The Indian Express, the campus holds five batches of MBBS courses daily, each with 150 to 200 students. The current Vice-Chancellor, Dr Bhupinder Kaur Anand, also serves as the principal of the medical college. The current registrar of Al-Falah University is Prof (Dr) Mohammad Parvez.

The Man At The Helm

Al Falah University’s Chancellor is Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui. His LinkedIn profile lists him as Managing Trustee of Al-Falah Charitable Trust since 1995, Chancellor of Al-Falah University, Faridabad since 2014, and Managing Director of Al-Falah Investments Limited since 1996.

He is also a director in several other companies registered during the mid-1990s, including Al-Falah Education Service LLP, Al-Falah Software Pvt Ltd, Al-Falah Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd, Al-Falah Exports Ltd, Tarbia Education Foundation, and Al-Falah Energies Ltd.

A report published in The Milli Gazette in 2000 mentioned Siddique’s arrest in a financial irregularity case involving Al-Falah Investments Pvt Ltd.

Growing Anxiety Among Students

Students at Al Falah Medical College, speaking to The Indian Express, said the accused doctors rarely interacted with them, but their arrests have sparked anxiety about the college’s reputation.

“He was a JR doctor in the emergency wing, so never came to teach us. We learnt about him only after hearing the news of his arrest,” said a third-year MBBS student, referring to Dr Muzzamil Ganai, who was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police for alleged involvement in a transnational terror module.

Another student said Dr Umar un Nabi, the suspected suicide bomber, had taught a class about ten days before the blast. “As a teacher, he was alright but mostly kept to himself,” the 22-year-old said. Dr Shaheen Shahid, the female doctor arrested earlier, was described as “professional and regular in lectures.”

Students said police have since conducted multiple searches across the 500-room hostel where both students and teachers reside. “They checked all rooms, including Dr Umar’s,” a student told the paper.

Many students now fear that the investigation could affect their job prospects. “There are no famous doctors from this hospital. And after these arrests, who will hire us?” said one student, adding that he paid around Rs 1 crore for the five-year MBBS programme, besides Rs 3 lakh annually for hostel rent.

Delhi Blast

On Monday evening, a high-intensity blast ripped through an explosive-laden car near Delhi’s Red Fort metro station, killing 12 people and injuring several others. Pulwama-based doctor Mohammad Umar Nabi, who was suspected to have been behind the wheels of the Hyundai i20, was an assistant professor at Al-Falah University.

The blast came hours after eight people, including three doctors connected to the university, were arrested and 2,900 kilograms of explosives were seized with the uncovering of a “white-collar terror module” involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.