The anti-terrorist squad of Uttar Pradesh police and the National Investigation Agency, assigned to probe the November 10 Delhi blast, have started identifying students from Jammu and Kashmir who are studying in Kanpur.

Dr Shaheen Sayeed, who was arrested from Faridabad a few days before the Red Fort blast that claimed 13 lives, had worked in a government medical college in Kanpur before shifting to Faridabad. Sources in the police said sleuths of the agencies have been camping in Kanpur for the past two days and collecting data on current and former students from the Valley.

Prem Narayan Vishwakarma, a local police inspector, told reporters: “We have verified the identity of some students from J&K who are studying in the medical college of Rama University in Bithoor. There are five Bachelor of Dental Surgery students, one MBBS and one MD student. They include four female and three male students. A total of 13 students have graduated from the university in the last two years. We have provided all details on them to the investigative agencies.”

“The agencies are trying to find out if any of the current or past students were in touch with her (Shaheen) or if she had helped them in getting admission in the medical colleges of Kanpur. However, it appears that, to date, several meritorious students have been diverted to terrorism. Those who were involved in indoctrination didn’t
focus on those who got admission after paying a donation,” said a police officer in
Lucknow.

“We are also collecting the details of the students from Kashmir who are studying in two private medical colleges of Lucknow. There are medical colleges in Noida, Bareilly, Kanpur and Lucknow which have been particularly attracting students from the Valley for medical and engineering courses. There are inputs with the agencies that some of these students might were assisted by the doctors who have been arrested for their
involvement in the Delhi blast in getting admission there,” said the officer.

“We are also collecting the details of the fees these students have paid and the source of the funds they received at the time of admission and thereafter,” the officer added.

Shaheen’s younger brother, Dr Parvez Ansari, was teaching at a private medical college in Lucknow and was arrested a day after the blast. Besides Shaheen, over a half-dozen doctors have been arrested before and after the blast.