A day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) released four individuals detained in Haryana’s Nuh in connection with the November 10 Delhi car blast, several political activists, commentators, and social-media influencers sparked confusion by circulating incorrect information about who had actually been released.
On 16 November 2025, as reported in India Today, NIA confirmed that Dr Rehan, Dr Mohammad, Dr Mustaqeem, and fertiliser dealer Dinesh Singla were released after three days of questioning, with investigators finding no evidence, digital trail, or substantive link connecting them to the main accused, Dr Umar Un Nabi. All four were earlier associated with Al-Falah University or had professional contact with Umar.
The blast killed 13 people and injured several others. Investigators have since uncovered what they describe as a “white-coat terror module”, operated by highly educated professionals linked to Al-Falah University, with nearly 3,000 kg of explosives seized in multi-state raids.
The key accused, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, Dr Shaheen Shahid, and Dr Adil Rather remain under arrest; Dr Umar Nabi was confirmed to be the one sitting in the car that exploded. These individuals were the ones from whom explosives were recovered and who are alleged to have spent two years planning large-scale attacks across multiple cities.
However, this nuanced update was distorted by a misleading report from the DMK-affiliated Kalaignar News, which published a newscard featuring the photographs of the actual, hardcore terrorists – Dr Umar Nabi, Dr Shaheen Shahid, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, and Dr Adil Rather with a claim (without naming them) that they had been released. The outlet later quietly deleted the post after its falsehood was exposed.
Most news outlets reported without naming any terrorist or using their images. For example, an India Today report was as below. They just wrote, “𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟑 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐡𝐢 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤. After three days of questioning, #NIA found no concrete evidence linking them to the main #RedFortblast accused, Dr Umar Un Nabi.”
Misinformation Goes Viral
This fabricated narrative was swiftly amplified by several high-profile accounts, who used it to level allegations of vilification against the government and media.
Rana Ayyub, a journalist, was among the first to cry victimhood, posting on X. Sharing the India Today post, she wrote, “Will the news channels, the experts, apologize to these doctors who along with their families were vilified and labelled terrorists.”
Her post implied a systemic failure in the probe but referred to the wrong set of individuals.
Dhivya Marunthiah, State Vice-President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC), shared the deleted and demonstrably false Kalaignar News card on her X handle. She captioned it, “That’s also, how they win elections. Bloody RSS/BJP monsters,” thereby basing a severe political accusation on entirely incorrect information.
Dhivya also quoted the India Today post echoing Rana Ayyub’s narrative, and said, “Will the news channels issue a public apology to the doctors, their families, and the Muslim community for the unfounded vilification they have faced?”
Mathur Sathya, a member of Communist Party of India (CPI), ISCUF – South Chennai and also featured by leftist portal The News Minute, shared the misleading Kalaignar card, asking, “Now who will compensate for the vilification and harassment these individuals went/go through?”
He later deleted the post after being schooled by netizens
Netizens School Commentators on Basic Facts
The posts triggered a swift and sharp backlash from netizens, who fact-checked the commentators in real-time. Users pointed out the critical and basic distinction that the released doctors (Drs Rehan, Mohammad, Mustaqeem) were minor detainees questioned and cleared, while the individuals featured in the Kalaignar News card (Drs Nabi, Shahid, Ganaie, Rather) are the primary accused in the terror module.
Investigators maintain that the primary conspiracy was led by Dr Umar, who allegedly triggered the blast prematurely after fears that the module had been compromised. The probe has now expanded across multiple states after leads from mobile devices and CCTV footage.
This group is alleged to have planned a conspiracy for over two years, used encrypted apps for coordination, and was in possession of a massive cache of nearly 3,000 kg of explosives. They remain in custody as the core of the NIA’s investigation into the blast that killed 15 people.
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