Red Fort Blast: Kanpur medical college removes Dr Shaheen's name from departmental board

KANPUR: The Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College here has removed the name of Dr Shaheen Saeed from its pharmacology departmental board after her name emerged during the ongoing Delhi blast investigation, a senior official said on Saturday.

Dr Shaheen, who headed the department from September 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013, was succeeded by Dr Pooja Agarwal on January 1, 2014, another official confirmed. The official, requesting anonymity, said the step was taken "as a precautionary measure" following inputs received by the Delhi Police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).

The institution acted promptly to prevent any "misidentification or reputational impact," the official added.

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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 Shaheen and individuals who may have remained in contact, officials said.

Investigators also reviewed selected departmental documents, they said. The board revision, the officials asserted, is an internal preventive step aimed at safeguarding the institution's image while the probe continues.

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.