Ghazanfar Abbas | Caravan Daily
NEW DELHI — Congress leader and daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee Sharmistha Mukherjee questioned federal agency CBI’s credibility that failed to get any breakthrough in a two years long missing case of JNU student Najeeb Ahmad on Monday. She accused Modi government of “religious and caste discrimination” and spreading “ideology of hate”.
Sharmistha Mukherjee participated in a protest march held in New Delhi marking two years of Najeeb’s disappearance on Monday. Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafis and Radhika Vemula, mother of Rohith Vemula were also present during the march.
“How a student from JNU disappeared? Is there jangalraj in the capital of India? Despite all evidence some people are being sheltered. Where is rule of law? It has been two years, where is Najeeb? Why the government’s probing agencies failed to trace Najeeb till now? Why CBI is closing the case?” Sharmistha asked.
“Government must reply,” she averred.
She was addressing a gathering of hundreds of students and youth activists who marched here from Mandi House to Parliament Street on Monday, along with Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafis.
Najeeb, first-year student of M.Sc. (Biotechnology) mysteriously went missing from his hostel room on 16th October 2016, day after being assaulted allegedly by some members of ABVP (Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad), student wing of BJP-RSS combine.
On this 8th October, Delhi High Court (HC) disposed off the habeas corpus petition filed by Nafis and allowed CBI to file a closure report in the case. In May 2017 after the Delhi Police failed to make any breakthrough in nine months of its investigation, HC had handed over the case to CBI that too failed to trace the missing youth after one year in its investigation.
Mukherjee also raised question of the suicide of a Dalit Scholar Rohith Vemula who was found hanging inside his hostel room at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) campus on 18th January, 2016 days after he along with five other research scholars were suspended from the hostel for allegedly attacking an ABVP leader.
“Why the young minds are being filled of hatred that is killing their bothers? Why Rohith had to give up his life? Why such situation is being created in the country?” she asked angrily.
Radhika Vemula, mother of Rohith was also present in the protest.
Sharmistha Mukherjee said, “Our fight will continue till this politics of discrimination is not ended and justice delivered.”
Also Read: Modi Govt. Set To Face Humiliation In 2019, Say Mothers of Najeeb, Rohith, Junaid
Slamming BJP leaders over levelling JNU as anti-national Mukherjee said, “I also studied in JNU where we were taught to question. But today some people are saying that whatever they say is right and if someone ask question to them, that is anti-national. Premier institution like JNU has been mocked.”
BJP propagating hate
Mukherjee said that India has been a country of various cultures, religions, languages and its constitution teaches equality and brotherhood.
“But today this central idea of India is under attack. Some people believed in certain ideology and want to divide us. Today we can see people are being targeted in the name of religion and castes. We will not tolerate if they want to paint the multicolor culture of India with one color only. Our fight is with the ideology of hate that is being propagated across country today,” she remarked.
A large number of people mostly Muslims and Dalits have become victim of hate crime and lynchings by self styled cow vigilantes over rumours of cow theft or consuming beef in BJP ruled states.
