[dropcap]N[/dropcap]ajeeb Ahmed, a 27-year-old MSc Biotechnology student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), vanished on October 15, 2016, following a violent altercation the previous night with nine ABVP members in his hostel. The clash reportedly stemmed from a political disagreement, with witnesses alleging that Najeeb was beaten and verbally abused, prompting him to leave the hostel, never to be seen again.
The Delhi Police and later the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted the investigation. Still, the case was closed on June 30, 2025, due to a lack of evidence linking anyone to his disappearance or death.
No arrests or prosecutions followed, despite nine years of public outcry and his mother, Fatima Nafees’, relentless pursuit of justice.
The timing of Najeeb’s disappearance immediately after the ABVP altercation strongly suggests their members could have been directly involved in his abduction or murder. The lack of forensic evidence (e.g., blood, DNA) or his belongings (mobile, laptop) might indicate a calculated effort to eliminate traces.
The 2017 CBI probe noted witness accounts of threats against Najeeb, yet no follow-up action was taken, hinting at either incompetence or suppression.
The failure to locate Najeeb despite extensive searches (12 city mortuaries, railway records) suggests either exceptional luck or a deliberate cover-up.
ABVP’s campus network could have facilitated hiding evidence or intimidating witnesses, a tactic seen in past incidents like the 2020 JNU attacks.
The Delhi Police’s initial mishandling—coercing an auto driver’s statement and failing to secure the crime scene—and the CBI’s subsequent inability to find leads point to deliberate inefficiency or cover-up. By the way, to whom do the Delhi Police and the CBI report?
This case isn’t an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeper malaise: the politicisation of justice in India. The ABVP’s thuggish campus dominance, backed by the BJP’s muscle, has created a culture where violence against dissenters—especially Muslims or leftists—can be executed with impunity.
Najeeb’s likely murder, if it occurred, fits a pattern of extrajudicial actions that go unpunished when politically convenient.
In the end, no one killed Najeeb. He just disappeared. We are sorry, Najeeb!
