Punjab police sidelined as doctor lifted from Pathankot in Delhi blast probe
Pathankot: In yet another move reflecting New Delhi’s deepening distrust of local law-enforcement structures, a Delhi-based news agency has detained a Kashmiri-origin doctor from Pathankot in connection with the November 10 Delhi blast—while completely excluding the Sikh dominated Punjab Police from the entire operation.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the doctor, identified as 45-year-old Dr Rayees Ahmad Butt, an assistant professor of surgery at a private hospital in Pathankot, was whisked away on Friday afternoon by a special investigation unit. Dr Butt had earlier served at Al-Falah University in Faridabad, which Indian agencies have placed under heightened scrutiny.
Punjab police officials confirmed that the entire operation was kept strictly under wraps. A senior officer admitted that neither the district police nor any local authority was informed beforehand. The matter came to light only when the doctor’s wife approached the police, reporting him missing and his mobile switched off.
“Even we came to know much later. This was handled entirely by a Delhi-based agency,” the officer said, reflecting the complete exclusion of the local police apparatus by New Delhi.
The agencies claim Dr Butt had been in contact with another doctor, identified as “Dr Umar,” whom they accuse of driving an explosive-laden vehicle that detonated near the Red Fort in New Delhi on November 10, killing 13 people. The Pathankot doctor has reportedly been moved to an undisclosed location.
This marks the first arrest from Punjab in connection with the blast, and staff at the hospital where Dr Butt worked have been directed to maintain silence.
Observers note that Indian agencies are increasingly bypassing local institutions—particularly in sensitive cases—to retain full control over narratives and operations, a trend that further erodes public trust and fuels concerns of profiling and targeting, especially of Kashmiris working outside the territory.
