A prestigious medical university in India has been plunged into crisis and branded a 'terror hub' after several of its staff were linked to a deadly suspected car bombing in the capital, New Delhi.
University at the Heart of a National Security Storm
Al Falah University, located in Faridabad, a satellite town of Delhi, has been enveloped by an uneasy calm and intense scrutiny since the explosion near the historic Red Fort on 10 November. The Indian government declared the blast a "terror incident" by "anti-national forces."
The country's National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified the alleged suicide bomber as Dr Umar Un Nabi, an assistant professor in general medicine at Al Falah. The NIA claims forensic evidence established Nabi was driving the vehicle that exploded.
Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of two other Kashmiri doctors tied to the university: Dr Muzammil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed. In a major development, police stated they recovered over 3,000kg of chemicals used for making improvised explosive devices, along with detonators and wires, from Shakeel's rented house in Faridabad.
Campus Life Paralysed by Fear and Scrutiny
Inside the university, students describe a surreal atmosphere. While classes continue, the mood has shifted dramatically. Security guards now block reporters from entering, and students walk past permanent media encampments outside the gates.
"I fear what the future will look like since there is a rumour about the university losing its accreditation," one third-year medical student from Kashmir confided. "I wonder if anyone will even bother to employ me after I finish my degree, once they see the name of the university."
Another student expressed anger at the media coverage, which has painted the entire institution with a broad brush. "We pay Rs 2m (£16,600) a year in fees to become doctors and surgeons. And these media houses are running stories that students are here 'being radicalised under the garb of education'. This is what you think we do?"
These anxieties were compounded when the National Assessment and Accreditation Council asked the university to explain why false accreditation claims appeared on its website, a move students fear will damage their credibility regardless of the blast investigation's outcome.
Wider Fallout: A Community and Economy Under Strain
The repercussions extend far beyond the lecture halls. Police have conducted exhaustive searches of places linked to the university's 1,300 students and 400 employees. While no further explosives were found, students described intrusive inspections of their off-campus accommodations.
Simultaneously, civic authorities launched an inquiry into whether campus construction adhered to plans, threatening demolition of违规 structures. In a significant financial blow, the Enforcement Directorate arrested university founder Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui on 19 November for allegedly taking "proceeds of crime" linked to misleading accreditation claims, tracing over Rs 4.1bn (£38m) in suspect funds.
The local economy built around the university is suffering. Shop owners report a drastic drop in customers. "Things were really pleasant. Everyone used to visit here. But as the university’s name became attached to the incident, business was hit," said Salaubbin, a 22-year-old butcher. Construction work on campus has halted as contractors go unpaid.
University vice chancellor Bhupinder Kaur Anand has stated the institution "has no connection" with the accused beyond their official roles and is cooperating fully with investigators. However, with federal probes into a suspected "white-collar terror module" ongoing, the spotlight shows no sign of fading, leaving a once-thriving institution and its students in a state of profound limbo.
