Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, Nov 16: “What do I say? I have no words. Please stand with me. I will thank you all when Najeeb is back. Please don’t leave me,” said missing JNU student’s mother Fatima Nafees while addressing hundreds of students gathered at JNU on Tuesday to mark one month of Najeeb’s mysterious disappearance from hostel room. The M.Sc. biotechnology student went missing on 15th Oct, days after his scuffle with and alleged subsequent assault by some members of Hindu-right students group ABVP.
JNU Students Union and other students groups have since been holding protest demonstration inside and outside JNU demanding the safe recovery of Najeeb, who had got admission in JNU just two weeks before his disappearance.
In the 15th Nov event, besides from JNU, students had gathered from various universities in the country including Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University, Kanpur University, Purvanchal University, Maharshi Dayanand University and Kurukshetra University.
Students along with family members of Najeeb protest at JNU on 15 Nov 2016. (Photo – IndiaTomorrow.net)
“We are not here just for solidarity since we think it is not just a fight for Najeeb, it is our fight. This fight is for all those students who want education. There are regular attacks by ABVP in various campuses across the country but we are not afraid of them,” said Suman from Kurukshetra University.
Sumit from Maharshi Dayanand University said, “Today we are facing dictatorship of ABVP goons across the country. We see this thing in Haryana too. How is government along with ABVP suppressing our voices and our PM is busy in foreign visits?…If fighting for Najeeb, if fighting for education is anti-national then we are anti national; if to follow Bhagat Singh is anti-national, yes we are anti national. We all students of Haryana will fight with you to find Najeeb.”
Sourabh from CYSS, youth wing of Aam Aadmi Party said, “It does not mean that police can’t do investigation. Government is trying to suppress all but they can’t suppress you. Today when police and media are in Govt’s hand you students are the only hope. And we are with you.”
Kawalpreet Kaur from Delhi University said, “When we gave a call for effigy burning in our campus, female activists of ABVP disrupted our program and asked us why you are doing it here while Najeeb is from JNU. We want to tell them it will be in JNU, DU, Jamia and everywhere.”
Addressing Najeeb’s mother, she said, “We were with you at India Gate on that day when police dragged you on road then we realised we need to break this normalcy that why people are silent. We will lead this fight until Najeeb is back.”
Babu Singh from Allahabad University said, “If oppressors are uniting we people of progressive thoughts should also unite. We will take this fight from Allahabad to Baliya to Fatehpur.”
Amrita Dhawan, National President, NSUI said, “There is nothing more painful than a mother’s pain but government does not see this pain while PM sheds crocodile tears after demonetisation and says he knows the pain of a family. There is no problem when mother is dragged on the road but when effigy of PM is burnt they ordered for an enquiry. Burning an effigy is more important issue for them rather to find a student. There is an environment of hatred and fear across the country. You are able to do surgical strikes across the border but not able to find your student inside the country. This is anti-students government and this fight is against the suppression of dissent voices.”
