Missing JNU student’s mother to lead protest march on Sunday

Missing JNU student Najeeb’s mother, Fatima Nafees will lead a protest march in Lucknow on Sunday.

Missing JNU student Najeeb’s mother, Fatima Nafees will lead a protest march in Lucknow on Sunday, demanding action against nine Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members against whom an FIR had been lodged in connection with the case. The march will start from Parivartan Chowk at 1 pm and will conclude at Gandhi Pratima. Earlier, Fatima had led a successful march in her hometown, Badaun.

Fatima Nafees, mother of Najeeb, who went missing from Jawaharlal Nehru University. (HT File Photo)

Addressing media persons in Lucknow on Saturday, Fatima made an emotional appeal to the student fraternity to help her in the mission to find her son who had gone missing from his hostel at Jawaharlal Nehru University on October 15, 2016. She also sought action against those allegedly involved in her son’s disappearance. “It’s been nearly four months and the police have not been able to trace my son,” she said.

On a day when seven-phase polling began in UP, Fatima expressed anger at the fact that student safety and security never became political issues.

Replying to queries on if Najeeb’s family had the district administration’s permission to take out such a rally, Shehla Rashid, former JNUSU vice president said, “A mother whose son has been missing for nearly four months needs no permission to hit the streets. In Badaun also, permission was denied yet the protest march went off peacefully.”

Mohit Pandey, who hails from Lucknow, had earlier met chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, requesting him to initiate a probe into Najeeb’s disappearance, citing bias of Delhi police as the reason.

Asked whether he was supporting any political party in the upcoming election, Pandey categorically said, “The election is simply a coincidence. For us, the matter of Najeeb’s disappearance is first and in no way linked with the elections. We have been protesting for four months now and will continue to do so. But we do want Najeeb’s issue to be made an election issue. Whichever party will take up this issue sincerely, the students will support them.”

He added, “But we urge the people of UP to keep BJP out of UP. They communalised our peaceful campus and caused a boy from UP, who had gone to study in JNU with dreams in his eyes, disappear. We can’t allow BJP to communalise UP.”

Najeeb’s inconsolable mother was flanked by Pandey, JNU students and family members, who unanimously blamed the BJP-led government at the centre of shielding the nine ABVP activists named in the FIR.

“We are not campaigning for any political party. But since Delhi police is under home minister Rajnath Singh, we are unhappy with the way this case is being handled by the NDA government. Najeeb went missing from his hostel after he was assaulted by ABVP members. His phone and laptop was found on his bed and all his shoes were also there in the room. It’s been four months but the Delhi police has not even touched the ABVP members,” said Pandey.

Similar protests will also be held in other cities like Jamshedpur, Jabalpur, Hyderabad and two other cities in Kerala on Sunday.