Red Fort Blast Accused Dr Umar's 'Soft Conversion' Bid: How Imphal Girl Was Given Muslim Identity

Last Updated:November 16, 2025, 11:50 IST

Intelligence sources said the girl from Imphal, after being questioned, admitted that she was in Dr Umar Nabi's contact list during the period of his radicalisation

Intelligence sources said Dr Umar Nabi was actively attempting to radicalise individuals across multiple states. (Image: Sourced)

A major development has surfaced in the radicalisation case of Dr Umar Nabi, who is the main accused in the Delhi Red Fort blast, revealing his extensive attempts at pan-India outreach.

According to intelligence sources, central to the new findings is the case of a girl from Imphal, who, after being questioned, admitted that she was in Dr Umar Nabi’s contact list during the period of his radicalisation.

The sources said Umar was actively attempting to radicalise individuals across multiple states. His targets specifically included students, junior colleagues, and vulnerable youth, they said.

They said the investigation into the case details how Umar used his status as a senior faculty member and teacher to pressure students into attending his informal sessions. News18 had earlier reported that he had been pressuring multiple students to follow his instructions.

WHAT IS THE IMPHAL CASE?

The girl from Imphal, who was in Umar’s contact, was allegedly subjected to a grooming and conversion pattern through which she was given a Muslim identity called ‘Mariyam’.

The sources said this renaming indicates a “soft-conversion" blueprint, which is a technique often used in Islamist radicalisation modules with the primary objective of first altering the target’s identity.

Agencies believe that selecting a girl from Imphal fits a model of targeting border, tribal, and emotionally isolated populations where oversight is weaker. The girl told interrogators that she listened to Umar because he was a senior faculty member but she clarified that she did not take his indoctrination seriously, the sources said. She maintained that she only attended his sessions out of respect, never accepting his ideology, they added.

The investigation has also brought to the fore Umar’s concerning conduct during his radicalisation attempts, the sources said. He was suffering from a psychiatric disorder, which was cited as the cause of his erratic behaviour, and these issues may have contributed to his radicalisation process, potentially making his actions more aggressive and unstable, they said.

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

News india Red Fort Blast Accused Dr Umar's 'Soft Conversion' Bid: How Imphal Girl Was Given Muslim Identity

Read More