Hundreds join Lucknow protest march, demand probe in missing JNU student case

Hundreds of students from Lucknow University and the Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama came out in support of Fatima Nafees, mother of missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmed, who led a protest at Lucknow on Sunday.

Hundreds of students from Lucknow University and the Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama came out in support of Fatima Nafees, mother of missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmed, who led a protest here on Sunday.

The march, led by JNU student Najeeb Ahmed’s mother, started from Parivartan Chowk and concluded at the Gandhi Pratima in Lucknow. (HT Photo)

Demanding a thorough investigation into the incident, they raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Rajnath Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.

The students also alleged that Delhi Police did not take adequate steps to trace Ahmed, who went missing from his hostel on October 15 last year. They demanded that the authorities take action against nine members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, against whom an FIR has already been lodged.

JNUSU president Mohit Pandey, former union vice-president Shehla Rashid and retired professor Rajesh Mishra also participated in the protest.

The march started from Parivartan Chowk at 1 pm, and concluded at the Gandhi Pratima.

The students alleged that Delhi Police did not take adequate steps to trace Ahmed, who went missing from his hostel on October 15 last year.

On Saturday, Fatima had made an emotional appeal to the student fraternity to help find her son. “It has been nearly four months since my son disappeared, but the police have not been able to trace him,” she said, wondering why the safety and security of students never became a political issue.

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

Fatima had earlier led a march at Badaun, her hometown.