Amid Delhi blast probe, Kanpur medical college removes Dr Shaheen’s name from dept board, IMA initiates revocation

The Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College here has removed Dr Shaheen Sayeed’s name from its pharmacology department board after her name emerged during the ongoing Delhi blast investigation, a senior official said on Saturday.

The Indian Medical Association’s Uttar Pradesh chapter has also begun the process to revoke the lifetime membership of Dr Sayeed.

The official, requesting anonymity, said the college decided to remove her from the board “as a precautionary measure” following inputs by the Delhi Police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). It acted promptly to prevent any “misidentification or reputational impact,” the official added.

Dr Sayeed headed the department from September 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013, and was succeeded by Dr Pooja Agarwal on January 1, 2014, another official confirmed.

Teams of the ATS and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) visited the GSVM campus on Friday and again on Saturday, inspecting the pharmacology department and seeking details about Dr Sayeed and individuals who may have remained in contact, officials said.

Investigators also reviewed selected departmental documents, they said.

IMA’s Kanpur secretary, Dr Shalini Mohan, told PTI that the branch met on Friday and unanimously recommended expulsion, adding, “A formal letter was sent on November 13, urging permanent cancellation of her membership.”

She said the final decision lies with the central body of IMA. “I have no confirmed information yet on whether they (the central body) have terminated her membership,” she added.

Dr Sayeed’s alleged role “amounted to anti-national and terror-related conduct,” Mohan said.

A high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort metro station on Monday evening, killing 13 people and injuring several others.

According to Delhi Police, the blast is now being probed by the NIA as a terror attack.