As investigators dig deeper into the deadly car blast in Delhi and the ‘white collar terror module’, Al-Falah University – a private institution tucked away in the quiet village of Faridabad, is now under the scanner.
Spread over 76 acres in Dhauj village in Haryana’s Faridabad district, Al-Falah University has come under intense scrutiny after diaries and notebooks containing codes and cryptic data were seized from Delhi blast suspects Dr. Umar Mohammad and Dr. Muzammila Ganaie.
This comes after a high-intensity blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday killed at least 13 people and injured several others.
Where is Al-Falah University?
Located about 30 km from Delhi, Al-Falah University was established under the Haryana Private Universities Act and is managed by the Al-Falah Charitable Trust, which was established in 1995, according to the institute’s website.
The university started as a technical college in 1997 and was granted university status by the Haryana government in 2014. A report by India Today said that the Al-Falah University Faculty of Medicine, which started in 2019, runs a small hospital with around 700 beds.
Falāḥ is the Arabic word for salvation – especially from self-improvement – happiness and well-being.
What is the connection between Al-Falah Univ and the Delhi blast?
Al-Falah University has come under scrutiny after three doctors associated with the institution were linked to an explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed at least 13 people on Monday, November 10.
Pulwama-based doctor Mohammad Umar Nabi, who was suspected to be behind the wheels of the Hyundai i20 that exploded, was an assistant professor at the university.
Dr. Muzammil Ganaie, who was also among those arrested, was a teacher at Al-Falah University.
Authorities have also detained Dr. Shaheen Sayeed. Reports reveal that she was allegedly tasked with establishing the women’s wing of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist organization in India, known as Jamaat-ul-Mominaat.
Why is building 17, room 13 of the university under scrutiny?
According to reports, the diaries and notebooks – giving dates from 8-12 November, repeated use of the word “Operation” – seized from Umar’s room number 4 and the room of Dr. Muzammila number 13 in building 17 of Al-Falah University.
NAAC Accreditation by Al-Falah
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (#NAAC) on Thursday issued a notice to the institute for displaying fake accreditation on its website.
The announcement states that Al-Falah University was neither accredited nor volunteered for the first cycle for assessment and accreditation as publicly stated on their website.
What did Al-Falah say about the case?
In a statement released on Wednesday, the university denied all the allegations. Al-Falah University said that its laboratories are used solely and exclusively for the academic and training requirements of MBBS students and other authorized courses.
It also took note of “baseless and misleading stories” being spread by online platforms “with the clear intention of damaging the reputation and goodwill of the university”.
“We strongly condemn and categorically reject all such false and defamatory allegations,” Al-Falah University said.
