Fatima Nafees is the mother of Najeeb Ahmad, a student of Jawaharlal Nehru University who went missing from his hostel in 2016. On Tuesday, October 15 2019 in a public meeting at Jantar Mantar, Fatima Nafees along with other protestors appealed to the government to bring her son back and alleged that the investigative agencies are not doing enough in the case.
The public meeting was held to mark the third anniversary of the day her son Najeeb Ahmed was reported missing after a clash with supporters of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. Students and several organisations gathered to question the Home Ministry on why they have not been able to trace him till now.
Ahmed had gone missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here on October 15, 2016, following a scuffle the previous night with some students allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
The case was initially being probed by the Delhi Police but was later transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI closed its investigation into the disappearance of Najeeb last year. However, Najeeb’s family argue they haven’t been given justice.
Ms. Nafees said the investigating agencies were not thorough in their probe. “The agencies said they have done everything but they only followed what the court asked them to do. I just want my son back,” she said, adding that for three years, her appeal to the government has remained the same.
At the meeting on Jantar Mantar road, Nafees thanked the students who turned up to voice their support for her and said: “I am fortunate that all of you, my children, have done your duty to stand with me and say that I am not alone. This is a slap in the face of the Sanghis. The only thing the government is scared of are the youths who will be the leaders of tomorrow. Those who call themselves nationalists are selling airports and the railways and destroying institutions. The only people stopping them are the youths.”
Ms. Nafees was joined by Kavitha Lankesh, sister of slain journalist Gauri Lankesh, Tabrez Ansari’s wife, author Arundhati Roy and prominent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, along with scores of students from JNU, Jamia and other universities at Jantar Mantar.
BSP MP Danish Ali, St. Stephen’s College professor Nandita Narain and several student representatives were also present in the meeting and spoke in solidarity with the victims.
Author Arundhati Roy, who was also present at the gathering, warned the students of the “growing fascism” in the country. Ms. Roy told the students,“Fascism has destroyed the media, universities, our economy, our investigating agencies and even our judiciary to some extent. But fascism cannot win…we need to take lessons from history and learn to fight fascism.”
