Where Is Najeeb? Massive Protest Held In Delhi On 3rd Anniversary Of His Mysterious Disappearance From JNU

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The question remains unanswered as the Delhi Police and CBI have failed to make any breakthrough in the case and filed closure report in the court.

Mumtaz Alam | India Tomorrow

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 15— This evening three years ago, a 22-year-old first-year postgraduate student had a scuffle with a group of students in his room at a hostel in Delhi’s premier Jawaharlal Nehru University or JNU. He made frantic calls to his mother at home in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district. She reached JNU next morning but only to find his belongings in his room and one of his slippers on the stairs of the hostel. Her son Najeeb Ahmed was not there. Najeeb remains untraced, dead or alive, till date.

On the 3rd anniversary of his mysterious disappearance today, a huge protest demonstration was held near the Parliament House in Delhi and in several other cities across the country.

Besides hundreds of students from various colleges and universities in Delhi, including JNU, Delhi University, Jamia Millia and Aligarh Muslim University, eminent persons, including celebrated writer Arundhati Roy, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Prof Apoorvanand and Lok Sabha MP Kunwar Danish Ali were present at the protest demonstration. They also addressed the gathering.

More importantly, three women were on the stage on whose joint call this event was organized. They were Fatima Nafees, mother of Najeeb, Shaista Parween, widow of mob-lynching victim Tabrez Ansari, and Kavita Lankesh, sister of slain journalist Gauri Lankesh. Rajani Singh, widow of slain inspector of Bulandshahr Subodh Kumar Singh, was also scheduled to be among them but she could not make it to the event.

Many speakers, including JNU students and Najeeb’s batchmates recalled the incident of October 15, 2016 when Najeeb had a scuffle with some students allegedly associated with Hindu-right Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of RSS-BJP combine.

Many of them lambasted the Delhi Police and CBI for allegedly not properly investigating the case to find out Najeeb. They alleged that the probe agencies were under pressure not to prosecute the named nine accused students.

“We are here to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of Najeeb’s disappearance. It is the bad luck of India that we are holding such anniversary on several occasions. One anniversary is on the disappearance of Najeeb which we have been observing for the last three years. Another is for Tabrez Ansari, Subodh Kumar Singh and Gauri Lankesh. Why are we holding such anniversaries? What is its need and what is the compulsion? There is only one reason behind this. In none of these cases, the government and probe agencies have any interest in ensuring justice to the victim families,” said Prof. Apoorvanand while addressing the massive gathering.

Commenting on the failure of probe agencies in Najeeb’s case, he said: “We all know that Najeeb disappeared from the premises of the JNU. I won’t say that he was made to disappear because I don’t know it till date. I won’t say who made him disappear because I don’t know. I or you cannot get this information because we don’t have required resources. This was the duty of the Delhi Police, CBI or NIA. They have all resources and capabilities and it is said they can resolve any issue. Then why didn’t they resolve Najeeb’s case,” asked Prof. Apoorvanand.

Several speakers lauded Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees for her consistent fight for justice for her son.

Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said: “I offer my salaam to Najeeb’s mother Fatima ji and her courage and bravery that she maintained her sprit up despite the tragedy and has been continuously fighting the case.”

He also targeted the government and police over daylight incidents of lynching and disappearance of people. “It is unfortunate that people are getting disappeared, many are being beaten to death by mob on road and their acts are captured in camera, yet they are not getting punished,” said Bhushan.

In her speech, Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees thanked the students and youth for standing with her all along the fight for the last three years.

“Today I saw that even after three years, you my sons are standing with your mother. I am a fortunate mother that students from all universities have come here at my call. They have proved that I am not alone. This huge gathering of youths and students is slap on the face of Hindutva forces who had thought that they would fail me,” she said and appealed to them to support her till she gets justice.

Many youth leaders and rights activists including Nadeem Khan, Umar Khalid and Wali Rahmani also spoke on the occasion.





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