Congress MP Imran Masood triggered a major controversy on Tuesday after describing Dr Umar Un Nabi, the man behind the car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed 14 people last week, as “a misguided youth”.
Masood was reacting to a video released earlier in the day in which Dr Umar appeared to justify suicide attacks. The Congress leader said he disagreed with the accused’s views and stressed that Islam does not permit harming innocents.
“I do not agree with the video that has surfaced. It is being said that he justified the suicide attack. Happiness itself is not acceptable in any way in Islam. It is forbidden,” Masood said.
“You are killing innocent people, and this is not what Islam teaches. And these are misguided people and their actions do not reflect the true image of Islam,” he added.
Dr Umar’s Video Reveals Radicalised Mindset
A new video showed Dr Umar, a doctor from Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, speaking in fluent English about suicide attacks being “very misunderstood”.
He claimed that what is widely called a “suicide bombing” was, in reality, a “martyrdom operation” in Islam — a window into his radicalisation, according to investigators.
BJP Slams Congress for “Defending Terrorists”
BJP leaders hit back sharply, accusing Masood of downplaying terrorism. Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla labelled him a “spin doctor of terror” and alleged that an “aatanki bachao gang” had resurfaced in the name of appeasement.
“In a video, the Delhi blast mastermind is justifying suicide bombing. On the other hand, like a spin doctor of terror, Congress MP Imran Masood says that these people are misguided youth. An entire ecosystem prioritises ‘vote bank niti’ over ‘rashtriya niti’,” Poonawalla told ANI.
He further claimed that “ever since this terror attack occurred, the Congress has started defending terrorists”, naming Mehbooba Mufti, Husain Dalwai, Abu Azmi, Imran Masood and Anuma Acharya.
Former Uttar Pradesh minister and BJP leader Mohsin Raza also criticised the Congress, alleging the party had historically misled individuals who later joined extremist groups.
“Since the Congress is also misguided, it has also been responsible for misleading such educated people,” Raza said. “This has always been the character of Congress. Who founded the Student Islamic Movement of India and during whose tenure?”
Red Fort Blast: Investigators Suspect Accidental Trigger
Investigators probing the 10 November blast near the Red Fort believe the explosion was accidental, although Dr Umar allegedly intended to carry out a major suicide attack later.
In his video, Umar explained a “martyrdom operation” as one in which a person expects to die “at a specific place and time”, defying the natural uncertainty of death. Officials suspect he recorded the clip to indoctrinate potential recruits.
The explosion tore through a busy Old Delhi street, killing at least 14 people and injuring more than 20. The powerful blast shattered shopfronts and caused panic in one of the capital’s most crowded areas.
The Faridabad Module
According to investigators, Umar was the most radicalised member of the “white-collar” Faridabad module linked to Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The group reportedly consisted of nine to ten individuals, including five to six doctors associated with Al-Falah University in Faridabad.
Members of the module allegedly used their medical backgrounds to procure chemicals and other materials needed to assemble explosives.
