Room 13, building 17: Al-Falah University hostel where doctors turned terror masterminds

An ordinary, damp room inside a boys’ hostel at Al-Falah University in Haryana has been unmasked as the covert headquarters of a chilling terror conspiracy. Room number 13, tucked away in Building 17 of the sprawling campus, served as the meeting point for a network of radicalised doctors who plotted coordinated blasts across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, investigators have revealed.

The unassuming space — once belonging to Dr Muzammil Shakeel from Pulwama — became a clandestine lab where terror took shape. According to officials, the group used the hostel to discuss bomb-making techniques, procure chemicals from the university’s laboratories, and plan attacks timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6.

The investigation took a decisive turn after the Red Fort blast on November 10 that killed 13 people. The explosion was traced back to Dr Umar Nabi, also an employee at Al-Falah University, whose DNA matched remains found at the blast site. A day before the explosion, authorities seized 2,900 kilograms of IED-making material from Muzammil’s rented house in Faridabad.

Dr Shaheen Shahid — once a lecturer — has also been arrested for allegedly attempting to establish a women’s wing of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed in India. Another Kashmiri doctor employed at the university, Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, has gone missing and is being tracked by agencies.

During a sweep of the sealed hostel room, police recovered pen drives, electronic devices, and chemical residues consistent with explosive precursors. Forensic tests suggest the use of Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil (ANFO)—a mixture commonly used in industrial blasts but also linked to major terror strikes.

Investigators suspect Dr Umar and Dr Shaheen facilitated the movement of chemicals from the university labs to remote villages in Faridabad, where they were assembled into deadly devices.

Al-Falah University, breaking its silence two days after the arrests, has denied any institutional role, stating that no unauthorised substances were stored or used in its facilities.

For now, the charred door of room 13 stands sealed — a stark reminder of how an academic corridor became the unlikely address of terror.