Major General Sudhakar Jee (Retd) warns Umar Nabi’s video reflects “peak radicalisation,” calling indoctrination a “slow poison” and urging education reform and nationwide counter-measures.
New Delhi: A chilling video of Red Fort suicide bomber Umar Nabi went viral on Tuesday, stirring renewed national debate on religious extremism and the rising threat of indoctrination. In the video, Nabi glorifies suicide attacks as ‘martyrdom’ and defends them as “Islam sanctioned”. His suicide bombing had earlier claimed the lives of 13 innocent people and injured several others — a tragedy that continues to echo through national security conversations.
Scroll to load tweet…
A Wider Crackdown
In the aftermath of the resurfaced video, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Jawad Ahmed Siddiqui, chairman of the Al Falah Group. Siddiqui has been accused in a money-laundering case linked to the Al Falah Charitable Trust.
The developments follow investigations revealing that at least three doctors associated with Al Falah University were allegedly part of a growing terror module.
The Expert View: “Peak of Radicalisation”
Speaking to Asianet Newsable English, security affairs expert Major General Sudhakar Jee (Retd) did not mince his words about the severity of the threat.
“The first and foremost thing is that it is the peak of radicalisation. The way he speaks, and articulate conveys that he had internalised the very concept of ‘martyrdom’ based on teachings provided at the radicalisation centres,” he said.
For the retired officer, Nabi’s state of mind was not the product of a moment but the result of persistent indoctrination, which propogates:
“Violence is a way of life and the martyrdom to be achieved is the ultimate realisation of the goal of a human body. There is no greater achievement in life than achieving martyrdom for a larger cause of Islamic fundamentalism.”
Inside the Ideological Machine
According to Sudhakar Jee, the propaganda machinery feeding such extremism is rooted in a hardline reading of faith.
“Islamic fundamentalism conveys loud and very clearly that ‘kafirs’ have no place on the planets. Therefore, it goes to those aspects of bringing ‘salafism’ which is a centre of gravity of wahahism. In that attainment of martyrdom through the process of fidayeen attacks or any other means is the ultimate aim of Islamic religion which are subjected to in the radicalisation centres as a process of indoctrination,” he added.
It is a grim assessment — one that points to an ideological ecosystem widening in influence, fuelled by structured indoctrination rather than individual misguidance.
“A Slow Poison”
Calling the situation a national security emergency, Major General Sudhakar Jee (Retd) warned that passive response could prove disastrous.
“This is very very dangerous and it is a slow poison and it must be checked and arrest. If it will be not checked and arrested it will spread like a wildfire.”
For him, the counter-strategy needs to be layered and long-term, involving society and state alike.
“How it is to be checked? There should be short term, medium term and long term counter-measures through the process of awareness programme, sensitisation programme and through our education system,” he said.
The retired Major General argued that the fight begins in classrooms. His most striking proposition was structural: He urged the government to overhaul the education system altogether and centralise curriculum.
He called for the government to “stop Madarssa-concept of education, introduce scientific and modern education into all schools curriculum. Bring all private educational institutions like Madarssa under the ambit of centralised education system.”
In his view, education should not remain a state-controlled sector.
“Do not leave it with the state. Education in India is under concurrent list, it’s a state subject. So it requires constitutional amendment where it has to be brought under the centre.”
Owaisi Responds: “This Is Terrorism and Nothing Else”
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi also weighed in, posting a clear and firm reaction on X.
“There is an undated video of Delhi blasts accused Umar Nabi justifying suicide bombing as ‘martyrdom’, and that it’s ‘misunderstood’,” he said.
Owaisi rejected Nabi’s claims outright.
“Suicide is haram in Islam and the killing of innocents is a grave sin. Such acts are also against the law of the land. They are not ‘misunderstood’ in any way. This is terrorism and nothing else,” the MP said.
Scroll to load tweet…
A Battle on Three Fronts
The viral video, paired with the arrests and expert warnings, underscores a battle unfolding on three simultaneous fronts:
- A war against extremist indoctrination
- A debate over education reform and centralisation
- A struggle to prevent the radicalisation of vulnerable young people
It is not only a matter for intelligence agencies but for policymakers, social institutions, and the education system itself.