Faridabad Police forms SIT to probe Al Falah University's activities
Faridabad (PTI): While multiple agencies are currently probing the car blast in Delhi and the recently busted white collar terror module spread across at least three states, Faridabad Police has formed a separate Special Investigation Team to look into the activities of Al Falah University, several of whose doctors were arrested in connection with the high profile case.
Meanwhile, investigating agencies have detained a cab driver, a cleric and an Urdu teacher for questioning, according to sources.
The SIT, which consists of two assistant commissioners of police, an inspector, and two sub-inspectors, is preparing a comprehensive report on the university's activities.
"An SIT has been formed to investigate the affairs at Al Falah University in Faridabad. All aspects will be looked into," said a Faridabad Police spokesperson.
Faridabad Commissioner of Police Satender Kumar Gupta has instructed the SIT to investigate how the university has become a hotbed of terrorism. The SIT members were told to gather detailed information about the terror module's funding and the trail of explosives. Reports are also being prepared on the role of residents of nearby villages in the terror module.
Police sources said the SIT was formed after Director General of Police O P Singh, who visited the Al Falah University on Tuesday, said that the commissioner and deputy commissioner of police should personally visit the place and that the administration should lead from front.
The biggest question before the police is how the terrorists managed to use the university as their base for so many years and how they remained undetected. An investigation has started in this direction, sources said.
Meanwhile, the investigating agencies detained a cab driver from Dhauj village last night.
According to sources, officers recovered from the driver's house a grinding machine and another electric device, which were kept in his custody by Dr Muzammil Ganaie, one of the arrested Al Falah University doctors and a prime suspect in the terror module case.
They added that Dr Ganaie had provided SIM cards to some students and other associates through the cab driver.
According to sources, the cab driver is a native of Asaoti village in Palwal district, who has been residing at Billa colony in Dhauj village. He had met Dr Ganaie at the Al Falah University's hospital when he brought his son for treatment after the child suffered burn injuries when hot milk spilled on him. Dr Ganaie provided significant assistance to the cab driver, they said.
Meanwhile, the agencies also detained a cleric and an Urdu teacher, both of them residents of Ghasera village in Nuh district.
Sources said they were picked up from the Shahi Jama Masjid in Raipur village near Sohna.
Investigation has revealed that Dr Umar Nabi, the suicide bomber behind the November 10 blast near Delhi's Red Fort, often visited this mosque to offer prayers. The police are also trying to establish if any kind of meeting or conversation had taken place in the mosque in Dr Umar's presence, officials said.
However, the cleric's family members have denied that he has any involvement in the case. The Shahi Jama Masjid is located on the highway and hence, people from anywhere in the country could come there to offer prayers, they said.
Meanwhile, parents of Al Falah University students are said to have planned to stage a protest outside the university on Saturday.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
