Al Falah University Once Again Under Scanner Over Terror Links

• Prime accused in Delhi blast, Umar Mohammad, studied at the Faridabad-based university
• Another ex-student, IM operative Mirza Shadab Baig, linked to Gorakhpur, Jaipur and Ahmedabad blasts
• Baig, trained in instrumentation engineering, played a key role in explosives supply and bomb-making
• Crime Branch has filed two FIRs against the university for regulatory violations

GG News Bureau
Faridabad, 20th Nov: The Al Falah University in Faridabad has come under intense scrutiny after investigation agencies uncovered past terror links of another student associated with major serial bomb blasts across India. This comes days after Umar Mohammad, the alleged terrorist behind the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10 that killed 13 people, was found to have been enrolled at the same institution.

Sources revealed that Umar, also known as Umar Nabi, is not the first terror suspect linked to the university. Mirza Shadab Baig, a key Indian Mujahideen (IM) member, completed his B.Tech in Electronics and Instrumentation from Al Falah University in 2007, around the time he is believed to have become involved in extremist operations.

Baig, a resident of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, was connected to the 2007 Gorakhpur blasts and later played a critical role in the planning and execution of the 2008 Jaipur and Ahmedabad serial explosions, according to probe agencies. His technical background in instrumentation engineering made him proficient in bomb fabrication, the sources added.

Investigators said Baig supplied detonators and bearings to IM operatives Riyaz and Yasin Bhatkal, conducted reconnaissance missions, trained module members, and arranged logistics crucial to the attacks. He has been absconding since, with his last trace in Afghanistan in 2019. A reward of ₹1 lakh has been announced for information leading to his arrest.

The Crime Branch has registered two FIRs against the university on charges of cheating and forgery after the UGC and NAAC found “major irregularities” in its functioning. Police teams have also reached the institution’s Okhla office seeking information on individuals under investigation.

The recent Delhi blast — caused by a white Hyundai i20 driven by Umar — triggered panic after the explosion damaged several vehicles and injured 20 people in a crowded parking area near the Red Fort. The incident followed the arrest of eight persons, including three doctors, and the seizure of 2,900 kg of explosives linked to a sprawling “white collar” terror network operating across Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Authorities are continuing their probe into the university’s admission and verification processes as part of the widening investigation into the terror module.