JNU Student Missing, Administration Stays Mum

A student in JNU has been missing since 15th October. He, Najeeb Ahmed, is a 27 years old student of Biotechnology. On 14th October he had an argument with a few students of JNU who are affiliated with ABVP. There are reports that after a heated argument there was a small physical confrontation between him and ABVP’s activists in his hostel room. After this alleged incident, ABVP’s activists allegedly gathered in his hostel and thrashed him in the presence of hostel warden and other students. He was threatened by ABVP. He went missing after a couple of hours of this incident.

The attitude of JNU administration is highly questionable regarding this incident. After it was reported that Najeeb is missing they did not take any measures to find him.  A case of kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person has been registered at the Vasant Kunj police station by the parents. Last night, JNUSU organized a massive march and filed a complaint against the people involved in attack on the missing student. The JNU administration ignored the disappearance of one of its student and also referred Najeeb as an accused. " Wardens of the hostel met and discussed all the issues related to the incident with the students present, including the hostel president, JNUSU president and room-mate of the accused,” the press statement issued by the university said. 

The whole incident shows how the JNU administration has decided to remain inactive in any case which involves common students’ problem and even their lives. A student goes missing from a prominent campus of this country and the administration tries to accuse him of physical violence instead of using all their resources into finding him. There are many witnesses of the beating that he received from the ABVP’s activists but the administration has not taken any steps in the matter. 

JNUSU has called a strike in the campus today. The student community has taken it upon themselves to compel the administration and the police to do everything in their power to find out about the whereabouts of Najeeb. The pamphlet that the JNUSU has prepared for the strike clearly states “We Will Not Rest Till Najeeb Is Back Safely in JNU and His Attackers Are Punished”. This is the commitment of the student community in JNU that they are willing to fight for their fellow student. On the contrary the administration, which has the responsibility to ensure the security of its students, has become a puppet in the hands of the ruling party at the center.
 

This is not the first incident when ABVP has chosen the violent path to infuse fear in the student community. It hasn’t even been a year since Rohith committed suicide after being harassed by ABVP and the university administration of the UOH on the orders of MHRD. The ideology of ABVP has inherited this path of violence from the Sangh Parivar. Their only defense against criticism is to push their opponents into shadows of fear and eventually make them disappear from the mainstream. In the last year we have seen many incidents where ABVP has used violence against students and has gotten away without any action against them.

A campus is place where students come to gain knowledge. It is the responsibility of the university administration to ensure the security of the students. This security is not only limited to against physical danger but also ideological threats. But ever since the present government has come into power their ideological companions have waged a war against the student community, whoever does not agree with their agenda, of this country. The progressive student community has always faced ideological threats from the right wing but now they turning our campuses a place where even your life is in danger.