One year after the Red Fort metro station blast claimed 15 lives and exposed a terrorist module linked to faculty members at Faridabad’s Al-Falah University, the institution has reported a significant turnaround. The university’s medical college, which faced intense scrutiny and uncertainty regarding its future, has successfully filled all 200 of its available MBBS seats during the latest admission cycle.
This shift follows a government takeover of the institution’s affairs in March 2026, prompted by the arrest of founder-chairperson Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui in connection with multiple money laundering cases. Since the takeover, the university has operated under a state-appointed administrator, IAS officer Amit Kumar Aggrawal, who assumed the role on March 21. A management team from JC Bose University of Science and Technology was also brought in to fill key administrative positions, including the roles of vice-chancellor and registrar, to oversee the university’s return to normalcy.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had previously placed the university under intense investigation after identifying Dr. Umer Un Nabi—who allegedly drove the vehicle involved in the November 2025 explosion—as a former assistant professor at the medical college. The NIA chargesheet further alleged that other staff members, including Dr. Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie, Dr. Adeel Ahmed Rather, and Dr. Shaheen Shahid, were involved in testing explosives and financing weaponry near the campus and in the surrounding Aravalli region.
In response to these findings, the new administration initiated comprehensive governance reforms. An official stated that the university replaced "bogus" faculty members who were previously registered as professors but were absent from teaching duties. To professionalize the academic environment, the institution implemented a uniform salary structure and conducted fresh recruitment through public advertisements, resulting in the hiring of approximately 80% of its current faculty.
Operational security has also been significantly tightened. The university introduced a mandatory biometric attendance system and conducted a thorough re-verification process for all students, employees, and stakeholders. According to university officials, this included resubmitting details for police verification for any individual whose records were found to be incomplete. The current administration noted that there are no foreign students currently enrolled at the university, contrasting with previous years when students from countries such as Nepal and Dubai had attended.
The admission process for the medical college is now managed through centralised counselling conducted by the Pt Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences in Rohtak. This centralized oversight, combined with the administrative restructuring, is credited with restoring the college's stability and academic standing. While the institution faced existential concerns last year, officials believe these measures have effectively addressed previous statutory violations and irregularities.
The broader criminal investigations into the terror module remain ongoing, handled by the respective law enforcement agencies. University administrators stated that while the institution was at the center of the investigation, the administration currently has no involvement in the active probes. For now, the focus remains on maintaining the reforms initiated under state oversight to ensure the continued functioning of the medical college.
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