What’s Al Falah, where the doctors linked to terror module worked

At Al Falah University, five batches of MBBS courses with 150 to 200 students each are conducted every day. Established in 1997 as a dispensary, the college began Btech courses as a college in 2003. In 2014, it began UG and PG degree courses after being upgraded to university status. In 2019, it began UG medical classes and two years ago, it also began PG medical classes. It has an ‘A’ grade accreditation from NAAC.

Since 2014, Al Falah University has been operated by Al Falah Charitable Trust. The current V-C is Dr Bhupinder Kaur Anand; she is also the principal of the medical college.

Another third-year MBBS student said he saw Umar about 10 days ago when he came to teach a class. “As a teacher he was alright. But mostly kept to himself…” the 22-year-old said. He said Muzammil rarely gave classes, but Shaheen did.

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“She was our MD, Pharmacology. I attended both Dr Umar and Dr Shaheen’s classes. I never saw the three (Muzammil, Umar, Shaheen) together,” he said. The student said Umar used to stay in the same hostel as him, which has about 500 rooms, mostly double- occupancy. “150 teachers lived in it; others were students. Yesterday police checked all rooms, including Umar’s,” he said.

The student said he was concerned about his future. “There are no famous doctors from this hospital. And after these arrests who will hire us? I paid Rs 1 crore for 5 years here. The hostel rent is Rs 3 lakh per year.”

Neither the university nor the medical college could be reached despite multiple calls and messages.

A senior doctor at the college said many doctors from Kashmir practise at the hospital. “Interns who worked with Dr Umar say he didn’t interact much with anyone, but was very intelligent and professional. He was also selected for higher studies,” the doctor said.

“This institute, where classes and exams are currently on, does not stop for anything,” said another MBBS student.

A landlord’s regret

“Iss poore cheez se main bahut pareshan hun (I am very disturbed by this whole thing)”, said Haji Madrasi, the owner of the rented accommodation from where Dr Muzammil Ganai was picked up by the J&K Police for possession of explosives and ammunition.

Madrasi had let out one of the 28 rooms at his Fatehpur Road property near Al Falah University to the doctor.

“On September 13, he asked for a room and I gave it. He gave Rs 2,400 advance for two months. I did not go for police verification as mostly I get outstation tenants and for short periods. I asked him to at least give me his name, contact number and the department where he’s working but he only gave me a paper that the police seized that morning. He had only written the name of hospital and that he was a doctor.”

He said 3 days before Muzammil’s arrest, two Kashmiri men came to the complex and said they would be clearing the things in Dr Muzammil’s room. After the doctor confirmed and requested the same on call, Madrasi relented, unaware what the luggage/equipment in question was. “They broke the lock and took some things away. Next day 20-30 Kashmiri policemen came and took more stuff from the flat,” he said.