Enraged by “the casual approach of the administration” in connection with the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmad, around 300 students of the Jawaharlal Nehru University have ‘Gheraoed’ all gates of the administrative building to prevent the Vice-Chancellor and other staff from leaving their office.
It has been 5 days since the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmad, a first year M.Sc. student at School of Biotechnology in JNU and there is still no information about his whereabouts. This has caused rising tension amongst the JNU student council and the faculty.
The 27-year-old Najeeb went missing from his Mahi-Mandavi hostel under mysterious circumstances on the afternoon of October 15, 2016.
“A case under section 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered on Saturday evening on the basis of a complaint filed by his mother Fatima Nafees” said an official of the Vasant Kunj North police station.
It all started with a quarrel between Najeeb and Vikrant Kumar, when the latter had gone to the former’s room for hostel mess committee election campaigning. Najeeb was found bleeding and traumatised in his hostel room when his fellow hotel mates found students affiliated with the Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) going inside his room. Najeeb was immediately rushed to the university health centre for first aid.
Protesting students allege that despite a complaint with adequate witnesses, the Vice Chancellor acted in an “insensitive” manner and no action was taken against the identified assaulters.
“We want the JNU administration to demand a CBI probe in the case and find Najeeb at the earliest. We also want the administration to take strict action against the identified attackers. We will continue our protest until these demands are met,” said a student of JNU.
The Vice Chancellor, Rector and other staff have been trapped inside the administrative building since Wednesday evening. However, protesting students claim that they have resorted to a peace protest. Protesting students have provided food packets to the staff trapped inside the building.