JNU braces for political showdown

Two days after missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmed’s mother met chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) prepares for Thursday’s showdown where Mr Kejriwal, Congress leader and former Union minister Mani Shakar Aiyar and ex-CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat will address students at the university campus.

The students’ union has been agitating against Mr Ahmed’s disappearance from the campus following a hostel fracas. According to JNUSU general secretary Satarupra Chakraborty, Mr Ahmed’s parents will address a solidarity meet before the politicians will take on the stage.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Ahmed’s mother Fatima, who has been camping in the university since his disappearance on October 15, met Mr Kejriwal at his official residence. Assuring help in expediting the investigation in the case, the Delhi CM had said that he will take up the issued with all concerned authorities, including Union home minister Rajnath Singh, according to Ms Chakraborty.

Following directives from the Union home ministry, a special investigation team was set up by the Delhi police to trace the missing student.

AAP leader Ashish Khetan, RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha and Rajya Sabha MP from JD (U) K.C. Tyagi are other some of the other politicians who are likely to assume the mantle of taking on the BJP-led Union government over disappearance of the JNU student.

Mr Ahmed (27), a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing a day after a fracas with the members of ABVP, RSS’s students’ wing.

Alleging inaction on the part of university administration, the protesting students last week had confined the vice-chancellor and other senior officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours.

Besides politicians, parents of Minhaj Ansari, a 22-year-old who died in custody after being arrested in connection with a WhatsApp message about beef, and representatives of Pinjra Tod, a women’s collective against gender-biased hostel rules, will also address Thursday’s meeting outside the ad bloc.

A number of leading rights activists and JNU professors will also participate in the meet, the JNUSU said.