Even after 15 days of a sinister and unexplained absence of the Jawharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed, police, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the home ministry have failed to provide any information on the whereabouts of the missing biotechnology student.
Najeeb, who has been missing since the night of October 15, had had an altercation with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) students on the premises of the university hostel during which he was allegedly beaten up by the ABVP mob. He had last spoken with his mother, who reached campus the very next day only to find him missing. Witnesses have also said that he was assaulted by students owing affiliation to the ABVP who reportedly also abused him during the attack.
While an SIT has been constituted for the investigation and help has been sought from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Najeeb’s family reportedly said at a press conference on Thursday (October 27) that they have no faith in JNU administration or Delhi Police. Jawharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) has been protesting along with Najeeb’s family on the university premises, demanding action against the ABVP students involved in the brawl.
Satarupa Chakraborty, general secretary, JNUSU told SabrangIndia, “Even after 15 days, they haven’t been able find any trace of Najeeb, and still the police have not arrested or even interrogated those who had attacked Najeeb the night before he went missing. They’re roaming around freely on the campus, as if they don’t have anything to do with this incident. This is really bothering us.”
She further claimed, “We were told by the home ministry that we’ll be briefed about the search operations on a daily basis and will be kept aware of the details of the investigation, which they have not followed. We don’t trust the police, since no action has been taken against the perpetrators and no information is being shared with us.”
Slamming the university administration for its apathy towards the missing student Chakraborty said, “They’ve given out several statements expressing concern over Najeeb, but haven’t said a word about the brawl that was the reason behind all of this. What is the meaning of this? We cannot trust the university administration either.”
She also informed SabrangIndia that the Student’s Union is in the process of seeking legal opinion as their next step, if Najeeb is not to be found in the next couple of days. “We’ll continue to protest. We will not give up. So far we have approached different concerned authorities, from the ministry of home affairs to the national minority commission. Now, we plan to meet the President of India with a representative, mass signature campaign. It is shocking that this degree of apathy is shown by a central university in the capital” she said.