Students protest in Delhi, alleging police bias and institutional Islamophobia. His mother and activists accuse Hindutva groups of complicity and call the case a reminder of India’s failing justice system
NEW DELHI — It has been nine years since Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed went missing, yet the police and administration have failed to trace him. On 15 October, marking nine years since his enforced disappearance, the JNU campus echoed once again with cries for justice.
Wednesday’s protest was organised by the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA), Fraternity Movement, and Muslim Students Federation (MSF). Dozens of students joined the night march raising slogans of “Najeeb ko insaaf do” and “Where is Najeeb?”, demanding accountability from the authorities.
Najeeb Ahmed, a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, was a first-year MSc Biotechnology student at JNU when he went missing in October 2016. His disappearance followed a reported assault by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student group affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Several agencies — including the Delhi Police, Special Investigation Team (SIT), Crime Branch, and finally the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) — investigated the case. Yet, none could find any trace of the missing student. In June 2025, a Delhi court accepted the CBI’s closure report, officially marking the case as shut. But for Najeeb’s family, the search is far from over.
His mother, Fatima Nafees, was cited by Maktoob Media portal as saying that various agencies have failed ger hope and her dream of justice. “I still believe my son is alive and somewhere among us,” she said.
The protest march began at JNU’s Ganga Dhaba and passed through several hostels, including Mahi-Mandavi, where Najeeb was last seen. Students shouted slogans: “Najeeb kahan hai?”, “Delhi Police murdabad!”, “CBI murdabad!”, “Vice-Chancellor shame on you!”, and “Down with RSS and ABVP!”
Avichal Warke, president of BAPSA, said: “We are here for one question—where is Najeeb? The ABVP members first assaulted him and then threatened to make him disappear. The silence of the so-called progressive left was equally painful,” he said.
He criticised the then JNU Students’ Union president, Mohit Pandey, for endorsing a statement portraying Najeeb as “mentally unstable”.
“That narrative was crafted by those who call themselves progressive, to divert the investigation. The left asks for votes from the oppressed and minorities, but when it’s time to stand with them, they remain silent,” he added.
Yoginder, an Ambedkarite activist, said the treatment of Najeeb reflected the wider oppression faced by marginalised communities. “Whenever a crime happens, the victim is blamed. This is the face of the state. In every institution — be it a university or an office — Dalits, Adivasis, Muslims, and women face systemic pressure. When they break down, they are labelled as mentally unstable. But no one asks why they reached that point,” he said.
Abdul Hafeez, president of the Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), called Najeeb’s disappearance a planned conspiracy. “The fight that happened before Najeeb went missing was not an ordinary dispute. It was a planned act to make him disappear from JNU. The message was clear—Muslim, Dalit, and backward students should feel scared to study here,” he said.
“Najeeb’s case and Rohith Vemula’s institutional death are not isolated incidents. They are both about identity — being Muslim, Dalit, and oppressed.”
He was referring to the suicide by Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad. His death by suicide on 17 January 2016 drew attention to the alleged systemic discrimination imposed by the caste
Labeeb Bashir, a leader of the Fraternity Movement, said the disappearance of Najeeb and the silence surrounding it revealed a deeper malaise. “Nine years have passed, but the questions remain — where is Najeeb, and who is responsible? The silence around his disappearance is not accidental; it is a silence of complicity,” he said. “From the start, Najeeb was painted as violent, unstable, and aggressive. This was a well-organised Islamophobic narrative to hide the truth.”
He added: “The failure to question the accused, the selective collection of evidence, and the lack of accountability show how deeply Islamophobia runs within state institutions. Najeeb’s case is not just a memory — it’s a mirror of political conscience. Every passing year shows how Muslim students are criminalised, monitored, and stripped of dignity.”
Shahid, from the MSF, said the protest was a reminder of continued resistance. “Nine years have gone by, and a student, a son, a friend is still missing. We have not forgotten him. Remembering him is our resistance. We will continue to demand justice,” he said.
For many students and activists, Najeeb’s case is no longer just a personal tragedy — it represents a failure of India’s justice system and the growing climate of fear among Muslim and marginalised students.
Fatima Nafees continues her lonely struggle, attending court hearings and public meetings, holding her son’s photograph close to her heart. Her question remains the same: “Where is Najeeb?”
Nine years later, neither the police nor the nation has any answer.
