JNU Students March for Justice for Najeeb Ahmad Ahead of 10th Anniversary of Disappearance
BAPSA, Fraternity Movement and MSF demand accountability from investigating agencies and university authorities as his whereabouts remain unknown
New Delhi: Students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) held a march on Wednesday, October 14, demanding justice for Najeeb Ahmad ahead of the tenth anniversary of his disappearance. The demonstration renewed calls for accountability from investigating agencies and the university administration.
Organised by the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA), Fraternity Movement and Muslim Students Federation (MSF), the “Justice for Najeeb” march called for answers about the whereabouts of the missing student and action over alleged failures in the investigation.
Najeeb, a first year MSc Biotechnology student at JNU, went missing on October 15, 2016. His disappearance followed an alleged assault at the university’s Mahi Mandavi hostel the previous night involving students affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The allegations surrounding the incident have remained contested.
The case was investigated by the Delhi Police, a Special Investigation Team, the Crime Branch and later the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but Najeeb’s whereabouts remain unknown. In June 2025, a Delhi court accepted the CBI’s closure report while allowing the agency to reopen the investigation if credible information emerges.
The march began at Barak Hostel and proceeded towards the university’s main gate. Participants raised slogans criticising the Delhi Police, the CBI, the ABVP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), while also raising concerns about Islamophobia and the handling of the case.
Students invoked social reformers B R Ambedkar, Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai Phule and Periyar, along with Najeeb’s mother, Fatima Nafees, who has continued to seek answers about her son’s disappearance.
The protesters also demanded the release of activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and expressed solidarity with Palestine. They vowed to continue their campaign until questions surrounding Najeeb’s disappearance receive answers.
For Najeeb’s family, the search has continued for a decade. His mother’s long wait has become a central part of the students’ campaign, which seeks renewed attention to the case and accountability for the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.