UP Professor’s Sudden Resignation Sparks Terror Link Probe After Sister’s Arrest in Red Fort Blast Case

A sudden resignation by a Lucknow-based medical professor has become a crucial link in the ongoing investigation into the Red Fort blast case. Assistant Professor Dr Parvez Saeed Ansari, who quit his university position via email on November 6, is now under the scanner of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), with investigators suspecting deeper connections to a Jaish-e-Mohammed–linked “white-collar” terror module operating across states.

What has raised even more suspicion is the timing. Dr Parvez resigned just four days before his sister, Dr Shaheen Shahid, was arrested in Faridabad with an AK-47, a pistol and ammunition, and identified as a close associate of the prime accused, Dr Muzammil Shakeel. Her arrest came hours before the powerful blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, prompting investigators to scrutinise the family’s activities.

According to sources, the ATS is now verifying whether Dr Parvez actually sent his resignation, or if someone used his email as part of a larger cover-up. They are also probing why the resignation was communicated only over email and whether the university administration attempted to contact him afterward.

The ATS has demanded full records of 60–70 Kashmiri students enrolled in the university, particularly in the medical faculty, amid suspicions that Dr Parvez may have attempted to radicalise some students to form a sleeper-cell–style network. Students recall him as someone reserved in general interactions, but unusually close to several students from Jammu & Kashmir.

Raids conducted after key digital clues surfaced have resulted in the seizure of computer hard disks, documents, mobile phones, knives, and an international calling card. Investigators say the phones were used to communicate with individuals in Jammu, while the calling card was likely meant to contact handlers based outside India. Authorities also recovered a “secret disk” believed to contain critical evidence.

Dr Parvez’s family home in Lalbagh’s Khandaari Bazaar was searched for hours, and his father was questioned. The house he lived in at Madiyaon was found locked and had to be broken into. Investigators also recovered university documents indicating his growing proximity to Kashmiri students—now a key angle of the probe.

Dr Parvez allegedly told interrogators about two possible associates, identified as Tameem Qasim and Taj, both now part of the investigation.

A graduate of Era Medical College and an MD from Agra, Dr Parvez joined Integral University in 2021. His attempt to justify his resignation by claiming selection at another medical college is now under doubt. Authorities believe he fled soon after learning about the arrest of fellow accused Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather from Anantnag.

Both Dr Parvez and his sister remain in custody as the ATS and J&K Police continue unraveling what they believe is a sophisticated, educated terror network linked to the Red Fort blast and broader JeM-backed conspiracies.