Who is Dr Shaheen Shahid named in Delhi Red Fort blast investigation?
PTC Web Desk: Shockwaves rippled through Kanpur’s Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College after it emerged that Dr Shaheen Shahid, a former faculty member and Lucknow resident, has been linked to the Delhi car blast and a terror module bust in Faridabad. Faculty and staff expressed disbelief as discussions over her alleged involvement dominated the college campus.
According to officials, Dr Shaheen Shahid was arrested after the Delhi Police uncovered a major explosives haul in Faridabad, where a terror network linked to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was dismantled. An assault rifle was also found in her vehicle during the investigation.
College records show that Dr Shahid joined GSVM Medical College in 2006 after being selected through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC). She was transferred to Kannauj Medical College in 2009 for a brief tenure. However, in 2013, she reportedly went absent without notice, prompting repeated but unsuccessful efforts by the college to contact her. In 2021, the Uttar Pradesh government formally terminated her employment due to prolonged absenteeism.
Sources revealed that her personal life had also been troubled, marked by a divorce from her husband, Jafar Ayat, in 2015. She later settled in Lucknow and remained largely out of contact with her former colleagues.
Investigating agencies are now reviewing her academic records, connections and past movements while the state government has requested official documents related to her tenure at the college.
According to Delhi Police, Dr Shaheen Shahid had been entrusted with setting up the Indian branch of JeM’s women’s wing, Jamaat-ul-Mominaat, which operates under the leadership of Sadia Azhar, sister of JeM founder Masood Azhar. Sadia’s husband, Yusuf Azhar, a key conspirator in the Kandahar hijacking, was killed in Operation Sindoor.
Dr Shaheen Shahid was also reportedly associated with Al-Falah University and maintained close links with Dr Muzammil Ganaie from Pulwama, another suspect arrested after 2,900 kg of explosives were recovered from his rented accommodation in Faridabad. Police said her Maruti Swift, bearing a Faridabad registration number, was used to store weapons and ammunition.
Security officials believe the JeM, which suffered heavy losses during Indian counterterror operations, launched Jamaat-ul-Mominaat in Pakistan last month to expand its reach through female recruitment, targeting the wives of militants and financially vulnerable students in cities like Bahawalpur, Karachi, and Muzaffarabad.
- With inputs from agencies
