Congress MP Imran Masood triggers debate by describing suicide bomber Umar a ‘misguided youth’
PTC Web Desk: Congress MP Imran Masood on Tuesday triggered debate after referring to Dr Umar Un Nabi, the man behind the deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 14 persons last week—as a “misguided youth.”
Responding to a disturbing video of Dr Umar that surfaced earlier in the day, Masood said he completely rejected the radical views expressed in it, stressing that Islam strictly prohibits harming innocent people.
“I do not agree with the video circulating online. It is being claimed that he justified the suicide attack, but such actions are forbidden in Islam,” Masood said. “Killing innocent people is against the teachings of Islam. These are misguided individuals whose actions do not represent the true essence of the religion,” he added.
The new video features Dr Umar, a doctor from Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, speaking in fluent English about how the idea of suicide bombings is “misunderstood.” He frames it instead as a “martyrdom operation,” offering insight into his radicalised thinking.
Investigators probing the November 10 Red Fort car blast believe the explosion was accidental, as Dr Umar was allegedly preparing for a far larger suicide attack. In the clip, he explains a martyrdom mission as an act where a person knowingly walks towards an unavoidable death at a specific location and time.
Officials say Umar was the most radicalised member of the so-called “white-collar” Faridabad terror module, which planned the attack. They suspect he recorded the video to influence and indoctrinate others.
The blast on November 10 tore through a crowded stretch near the historic monument, killing 15 persons and injuring more than 20. The explosion shattered several shops and sparked widespread panic across Old Delhi’s densely populated lanes.
According to investigators, the module is linked to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and included 9–10 members, among them five to six doctors affiliated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad. Their medical backgrounds allegedly enabled them to procure chemicals and materials needed to create explosives.
- With inputs from agencies
