Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Mohit Pandey alleged today that Delhi Police is speaking the language of ABVP by blaming JNU students for Najeeb's disappearance.
Representational picture. Image credit: The Indian Express
Talking to SabrangIndia, Pandey slammed the police for not being efficient in investigating Najeeb’s disappearance and accused police and the university administration of protecting Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). “We see a possibility of a nexus between ABVP and the police here. Both of them are making the same allegations. When the police detained the protesters yesterday from India Gate area, they kept alleging that it's us, who have hidden Najeeb somewhere – exactly what ABVP has been claiming. Both of them claim that he’s still on campus. Police is simply buying into their propaganda and is harassing us. On the investigation front, there is no progress. Police is clearly ignoring its primary responsibility,” claimed Pandey.
He told SabrangIndia, “The ABVP guys with whom Najeeb had had a fight with a day before he went missing, are still roaming free. After our repeated questions and attempts, two of these guys were just interrogated. No action has been taken against them by the university administration,” he said.
Pandey was detained on Sunday along with Najeeb Ahmad’s mother, relatives and several other students from the university by Delhi Police for trying to organise a protest near India Gate. Students and Najeeb’s family were picked up before they could begin the protest and were taken to different police stations. In the process of detaining, Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees was dragged from the spot outside the National Archives of India.
Image credit: Topyaps.com Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees was dragged by Delhi Police on Sunday.
Image credit: India Today Earlier this year, Radhika Vemula was dragged by police in a similar incident.
The images and videos of the incident went viral on social media, which resembled the incident in which Radhika Vemula – mother of a research scholar from Hyderabad Central University Rohith Vemula, was similarly dragged by Delhi Police earlier this year. Rohith had committed suicide on January 17 in his hostel room inside Hyderbad Central University.
JNU students led by JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU), and Najeeb’s family members have been protesting in the capital as even after 23 days, police have failed in locating Najeeb or in taking strong action against the ABVP perpetrators.
Pandey informed SabrangIndia, “They detained us at round 3.30 pm, and took us all to the different police stations. Najeeb’s mother was taken to Mayapuri police station, his sister was taken to Mandir Marg (police station) and students were taken to South Avenue police station. We were let go at around 8.30 pm.”
Pandey claimed that the police manhandled Nafees and were also beating up the students. “They were beating us up, and kept shouting at us. They said things like: you want justice? Here’s your justice, and kept hitting the students,” he claimed.
While the police have claimed that they had requested JNUSU in writing not to go near India Gate citing Section 144 CrPC is in force, Pandey said that they had replied to the written notice by the police. “We had informed them that we do not agree with the reasons you have cited and that we’re going ahead with the protest,” he said.
Even after 24 days since his disappearance, police and the SIT have not been able to trace Najeeb, who went missing from the university hostel after a brawl with ABVP students on October 14. His mother Nafees has since been in Delhi and has been demanding speedy investigation of the case. JNUSU is going to keep protesting, said Pandey. “We’re also planning to meet the president. We’ll urge him to look into the matter and speed up the investigation,” said Pandey.