Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) Friday held an event to mark five years of the enforced disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed, a student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Students and activists criticised the authorities for their failure in tracing Najeeb and taking action against his assailants.
Nadeem Khan, Convenor, United Against Hate, said that despite so many protests across the country, Najeeb hasn’t found justice. He added, “I don’t think there have been as many protests in anyone else’s case as in Najeeb’s case. It is clear that if you are a Muslim then you cannot get justice. As long as discrimination against Muslims continues in universities, Najeeb’s movement will continue.”
Snehashish Das, General Secretary of Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students Association (BAPSA) and student of JNU said, “Najeeb was a simple and sincere Muslim student. But being a Muslim is enough to make you disappear in India. The country has always been a Hindu Nation and has systematically crushed the Muslims. In this country, pre-planned violence is perpetrated against Muslims and then a narrative is built that these people themselves are responsible for the violence.”
“Many of us are making a systematic effort to teach Muslim students. We have to come forward and support them in every possible way,” said Zenia, a research scholar at Jamia Millia Islamia and a former JNU student.
Sadat Hussain, a research scholar at JNU, shared his sympathy with Najeeb’s mother. He added, “Najeeb’s struggle is not a struggle of our victimhood but it is to ensure that such an incident never happens again. While there is a mechanism in every university to prevent raging, there must also be a mechanism for the safety of Muslim students on campus.”
