Pulwama Doctor Prime Suspect in Delhi Blast
Family Claims He Was “A Bookworm, Not a Bomber”
SUHAIL KHAN
PULWAMA, NOV 12 : For the family of Dr. Umar Nabi in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, their son’s medical degree was a ticket out of poverty, the culmination of a lifetime of sacrifice. Today, that dream lies in ashes, replaced by a national nightmare after Dr. Nabi was identified as the prime suspect in the car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 12 people on Monday evening.
The revelation has sent shockwaves through the nation and shattered the Nabi family, who insist the gentle, book-loving man they knew could never be involved in terrorism.
Speaking to The Web Story/The Varmul Post, Dr. Nabi’s sister-in-law, Muzamila, described the moment the news arrived as an “earthquake that swallowed their past and future.”
“He was a bookworm, not a bomber,” she said, her voice trembling. “How do you connect the boy who lived in the library to the man who could do this?”
The family’s ordeal intensified hours after the news broke, when security forces arrived and took Dr. Nabi’s brothers and his elderly mother in for questioning.
The portrait the family paints is of a scholar who was the family’s beacon of hope. “His mother worked her fingers to the bone, sacrificing every comfort to educate him,” Muzamila shared. “He was our only hope to rise from poverty. We all worked tirelessly so he could stand on his own feet.”
She recalled a final conversation with Dr. Nabi just last Friday. “He was in the library, studying for his exams. He was our kitab ka keeda (bookworm).” These memories of a beloved uncle playing cricket with children and a son focused on his studies now serve as their only defense against the unimaginable accusations.
Azad Shakil, the brother of another arrested individual said, “Everyone is alleging he is a terrorist, but we have nothing to do with it,” Shakil stated. “There hasn’t been a single case against our family in 50 years. We are Indians at heart—we’ve even faced stone pelting for India.”
He revealed his sister’s wedding has been cancelled, and the family lives in a state of fearful limbo, unable to see the accused.
The fidayeen-style attack at one of India’s most iconic landmarks has been linked to a recently disrupted terror module in Faridabad, where authorities recovered nearly 2,900 kg of explosives and inflammable materials.
According to sources, Dr. Nabi, allegedly in a state of panic following his associate’s arrest, executed the blast using highly combustible materials.
Born in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama on 24 February 1989, Umar Mohammad was a doctor at the Al Falah Medical College in Faridabad. He was allegedly a close aide of Adeel Ahmad Rather and Mujammil Shakil, the two doctors who were arrested on Monday for being involved in the “white collar” terror module.
Following the arrest of his aides, Umar reportedly panicked and triggered the blast in his white Hyundai i20 car.
In response, the Union Home Ministry has transferred the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
In a critical step to establish the driver’s identity, the Jammu and Kashmir Police collected DNA samples from Dr. Nabi’s mother on Tuesday. This is to facilitate a match with human remains recovered from the blast site.
An official confirmed the action, stating, “We have taken the mother’s sample to confirm the identity of the person driving the car.”
Pertinently, security agencies have dismantled an inter-state terror network with alleged cross-border connections, arresting 13 individuals, including five medical professionals and a religious preacher following the appearance of jihadist posters in the Kashmir Valley last month.
Official sources told The Web Story/The Varmul Post, the probe was initiated after jihadist posters glorifying the banned terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) appeared in Srinagar’s Nowgam area on October 28. This lead prompted a coordinated crackdown across Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
The module allegedly raised funds under the guise of charitable activities and leveraged professional and academic networks for recruitment and operational secrecy, officials stated.
A major breakthrough followed interrogations in Srinagar, which led agencies to Dr. Adeel Rathar in Saharanpur. His subsequent questioning directed authorities to Dr. Muzammil Shakeel. Coordinated raids on their properties resulted in the seizure of a substantial cache of explosives and weaponry, leading to the arrest of seven individuals, including the two doctors.
The investigation continues to expand, with further arrests anticipated. “The full extent of involvement by individuals outside Jammu and Kashmir in this plot to strike at the country’s heart will be determined in the coming days,” official sources stated.
In related developments, Dr. Sajad Mallah was arrested in Pulwama based on evidence retrieved from digital devices.
An Imam from Shopian, alleged to be involved in radicalization efforts, has been detained. During a search of his residence, his brother, who is employed with the local police, was taken in for questioning.
Two brothers from Pulwama, Amir and Omar, were detained. While a photograph circulated after the Delhi blast showed a man resembling Amir with the vehicle used in the attack, family members have denied any connection to the vehicle, sources added.
In response to these developments, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level security review on Tuesday.
An official communiqué stated that LG Sinha directed officials to maintain constant vigilance and emphasized the need for seamless coordination among the J&K Police, intelligence agencies, and other security forces.
Meanwhile, security forces have launched extensive vehicle checks across the union territory.
A senior police official confirmed that checkpoints were established on national highways and key arterial roads in multiple districts, resulting in the seizure of several vehicles lacking valid documentation.
