In October 2016, the life of an ordinary family was turned upside down when Najeeb Ahmed, a 27-year-old biotechnology student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), mysteriously disappeared. On the night preceding his vanishing, he was embroiled in a confrontation with student members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organization associated with India's ruling party. Although the ABVP members have denied any wrongdoing, Ahmed's disappearance raised many questions amidst a backdrop of political tensions at the campus.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the case from the local police in 2017, has been unable to provide answers or leads in the case. Recently, a Delhi court deemed the investigation concluded after CBI reported it had pursued all possible avenues. In its statement, the court expressed hope that Ahmed would still be found but acknowledged the lack of credible leads.
Fatima Nafees, Najeeb's mother, has accused the CBI of inadequate inquiry and intends to appeal the court's decision. "It's outrageous that a leading investigation agency hasn't managed to locate a missing student from one of India’s top universities," Nafees remarked, vowing to continue her quest for justice.
Hailing from a modest family in Uttar Pradesh, Najeeb was the eldest of four siblings. His family made significant sacrifices to support his education at JNU. Despite concerns over his safety, Najeeb was determined to experience university life within the campus hostel, ultimately leading him into perilous situations that night.
Witness accounts indicated that Najeeb was injured during the altercation, which necessitated a trip to a local hospital where he allegedly faced barriers in receiving treatment due to the absence of a formal police complaint. He chose to return to campus, but he went missing the following day, leaving behind personal belongings.
The inability of the authorities to trace Najeeb ignited protests at JNU, prompting further scrutiny into the police's attempts to locate him. In a desperate bid for resolution, Fatima Nafees filed a petition with the Delhi High Court in late 2016. Subsequently, the case transitioned to the CBI, which claimed to have called over 500 witnesses and even offered a reward for information leading to Najeeb's whereabouts.
The investigation yielded nothing substantial, and Ms. Nafees criticized the CBI for not properly questioning the students involved in the initial scuffle. Despite tracking the phones of the participants, the agency found no correlations linking them to Najeeb’s disappearance.
As court proceedings drew to a close, the judge dismissed Ms. Nafees’ pleas, indicating the absence of sufficient evidence to connect the ABVP's involvement to the case. The ruling culminated in emotional distress for Ahmed's family, with activists questioning the perceived negligence by authorities in addressing their son’s plight.
Colin Gonsalves, who represented Najeeb’s mother, echoed concerns surrounding the investigation's integrity. Amid rising accusations of discrimination based on religion, Ms. Nafees voiced her belief that had her son been of a different religious background, the response from law enforcement would have been markedly different.
Despite a dimming hope, the fight for answers persists. Each year, on the anniversary of Najeeb’s disappearance, Fatima participates in candlelight vigils at the university. Aching for clarity, Fatima Nafees and her family continue to seek justice, unwavering in their belief that Najeeb will one day be found.
