After a coordinated raid on late Friday night in Haryana by the law enforcement agencies covering regions like Dhauj and Nuh, three people, including two doctors who worked at Al-Falah University in the past, were arrested as a result of an increasing investigation into a terror organizing cell.
The police state that the detentions follow a big investigation after a car blast outside the Red Fort of Delhi caused the death of several people and led to a further investigation of a suspected network.
The two physicians of Al-Falah University, known to the authorities by the names Mohammad and Mushtakeem, are reported to have been in frequent contact with Dr. Muzammil Ganaie, who is a central suspect in a previous terror related case.
It is reported that one of these doctors was in Delhi when the blast happened, and he had gone to have an interview in one of the medical institutes.
The third individual who was arrested, even after being mentioned by the authorities, is suspected of not having been part of the terror module as the doctors are.
Investigations into these people tentatively hold that they may be members of a “white collar” network, where radicalized professionals are possibly affiliated with extremist groups.
It is also under investigation whether or not the arrested people had communicated with non-standard forms.
This could be because certain suspects were recorded to draft messages in a common email account and then delete them immediately after reading them, and this indicates their use of such an action to leave no trace.
Reactions and Broader Implications
As a reaction to the arrests, Al-Falah University has resolved that it was not involved in the alleged terror activities at an institutional level.
According to the university vice chancellor, they were not connected in any way to the arrested physicians other than being their fairly regular employees, and they were themselves unaware of the alleged conspiracy.
Also in the same message, the university was shocked and condemned the developments.
They reiterated their cooperation with the investigating bodies by providing full cooperation to help them shed more light on the situation.
In the meantime, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has been working more sternly, it has officially revoked the medical licenses of various doctors who were reported to have participated in the larger terror pillar, due to integrity and other issues of confidence in the population.
This is being seen as part of the broader crackdown on a terror network that has infiltrated the professional and academic communities on the detention of these doctors.
Indian security agencies suspect that such white collar professionals were assisting extremist organizations, whether logistically, financially, or through special skills.
As the case continues its investigation, the scrutiny of the connection between the Al-Falah University and its staff, the communication between them, and their actions off campus may become even more thorough.
Through the intervention of key agencies such as the NIA (National Investigation Agency), there may be more arrests, and it might give some insight into a sophisticated terror network.
