Red Fort blast: Year-long anti-terror push results in 300 arrests, 73 deportations

New Delhi: As the first anniversary of the brazen Red Fort blast approaches, central security agencies have tightened vigilance nationwide, backed by a fortified counterterrorism architecture and a sweeping crackdown on cross-border terror syndicates over the past year, officials said on Monday.

On the eve of the first anniversary of the Red Fort blast, central security agencies have intensified vigilance following a year-long crackdown that led to over 300 arrests and the deportation of 73 high-value fugitives from abroad, the officials said.

The terror strike on November 10 last year had exposed a 'Doctor Module' operated by highly educated professionals. Security agencies cracked the case within 24 hours, subsequently filing a formal charge sheet against 13 accused, including absconding paediatrician Dr Muzzafar Rather, who is currently believed to be hiding in Afghanistan.


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Central investigation agencies and Jammu and Kashmir police, with the help of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), identified the principal conspirator and nabbed the key perpetrators.

The Red Fort blast led the central intelligence agencies to formulate a policy to prevent such attacks. This thought led to the unveiling of 'PRAHAAR: National CT Policy and Strategy' on February 23 this year, in which policy was formulated for zero tolerance towards terrorism.

The comprehensive policy sets a unified agenda for central and state machinery and its operational impact was further cemented during a high-level conference of state DGPs and central agency chiefs in September 2026. The efficacy of the PRAHAAR framework was visibly demonstrated in a massive, coordinated nationwide clampdown against the Pakistan-based ISI-backed Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN).

"The Red Fort case was unique because highly qualified professionals were involved. Now, many regulations are in place, including periodic surprise checks on the sale of ammonium nitrate and other materials," an official said on condition of anonymity.

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The network, which utilised domestic nodes and local foot soldiers, faced severe setbacks as agencies registered over 100 First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrested more than 300 operatives.

Security forces recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs), hand grenades carrying Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings, and illicit firearms.

Following these extensive operations, the SBN was formally designated as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on September 26 this year.

Concurrently, multi-agency operations have successfully dismantled several radical modules and dented the support frameworks of proscribed outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Action against pro-Khalistan elements (PKEs) has similarly blunted the network designs of outfits like Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Zindabad Force, disrupting cross-border arms smuggling and leading to key arrests.

The security agencies also stepped up containment of Bangladesh-based terror threats, arresting 27 radical operatives inspired by the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) ideology across Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

On the diplomatic and international front, counterterror cooperation with foreign governments has been significantly scaled up to cut off external sanctuaries and to fast-track the deportation of fugitives, a dedicated extradition portal was launched in September this year to optimise inter-agency coordination.

The officials confirmed that these sustained diplomatic efforts have successfully secured the return of 73 high-value fugitives from abroad over the past year.

As security forces maintain a high state of alert ahead of the anniversary, officials emphasise that the enhanced synergy between central intelligence and state police forces has substantially hardened the nation's defences against future threats.

The emphasis has remained on preventing terror attacks, identifying the wider ecosystem and quick disruption along with timely investigation, including collection of clinching evidence and successful prosecution to tackle the threats, the officials said.

The investigation on the entire Red Fort terror network run by the 'Doctor Module' started after posters of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit were pasted in the outskirts of Srinagar city during the intervening night of October 18-19 last year. The posters warned of attacks on police and security forces in the Valley.

Srinagar police treated the matter as a serious issue and not just as a one-off incident and Senior Superintendent of Police (Srinagar) G V Sundeep Chakravarthy formed several teams to get into the depth of the case.

Srinagar police registered a case and reviewed CCTV footage, leading to the arrest of three locals -- Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid -- all with prior stone-pelting cases.

Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic turned Imam from Shopian, who allegedly supplied the posters and used his access to radicalise the doctors.

Piecing the interrogation of the arrested accused together, the investigation led the Srinagar police to Al Falah university located in Faridabad where two doctors Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie alias Musaib, a resident of Koil in South Kashmir's Pulwama and Dr Shaheen Sayeed, a woman hailing from Lucknow, were arrested and a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, including 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur, was seized.

Aware of the crackdown by the police and central agencies, Dr Umar-un Nabi, driving an explosive laden car, started shifting his base to avoid arrest.

Nabi, a 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, emerged as the most radicalised and key operative in the network spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, and the officials believe he was planning a powerful Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) blast timed around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on December 6 last year.

However, his plans were to place a VBIED around a crowded place either in the national capital or at some place of religious importance and disappear, the officials said.

"Authorities are closely monitoring the radicalisation of youth and have been asked to flag any noticeable behavioural change in any individual immediately," said the official cited above.

It may be recalled that Dr Rather and Dr Nabi reportedly held radical views even during their student days; both of them managed to stay under the radar at that time, though.

According to the interrogation of the co-accused, Nabi's transformation took a dangerous turn after a trip to Turkiye in 2021 with co-accused Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, where they allegedly met JeM overground workers.

Following the trip, Nabi and Ganaie, who taught at Faridabad's Al Falah University, began accumulating vast quantities of chemicals from the open market, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulphur, much of which was stored near the university campus.

That plot fell apart when a meticulous investigation resulted in the arrest of many from the 'Doctor Module' and seizure of explosives, causing panic to Nabi and ending in a premature blast outside the Red Fort, killing over a dozen people.