As politics over the missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmed intensifies, lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung on Friday held a high-level meeting with top police officials, including special commissioner (law and order), joint CP (southeast range), head of SIT, and asked them to speed up their efforts to trace the missing student. The Mr Ahmed (27), a student of school of biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of ABVP the night before. Mr Jung directed the police that no effort be spared to trace the student.
He also increased the reward money from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh for giving information about the whereabouts of the missing student.
In the meeting, the police told the L-G that all out efforts were being made to trace him. They said that over 20,000 posters have been pasted in Delhi and outside.
The police also apprised the L-G that the entire incident has been repeatedly re-examined and that areas in and around JNU were searched comprehensively several times.
“SIT probing the case has verified over 300 autorickshaws plying in the area. It has so far deployed about 150 police personnel, including two teams per district,” the statement said.
Teams have been sent to Ajmer, Kota, Bareilley, Roorkee, Faizabad, Azamgarh, Badaun and other neighbouring cities, it added.
“Many of Najeeb’s former teachers, friends and relatives have been contacted, including the schools and other educational institutions which he attended. CCTV cameras at various locations including metro, ISBT, railway stations and tolls are being scanned,” the statement further said.
While participating in the solidarity meeting on Thursday, Mr Kejriwal had said that Mr Ahmed would come back only when Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be made to realise that he was losing “youth” votes over the issue. He had also pulled the Delhi police for making no headways in the investigation.
Mr Kejriwal, who has had frequent runins with the Delhi police, said the force would not dare to pursue any investigation in this regard as “RSS students’ wing ABVP was involved in the brawl following which Najeeb went missing.” Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and former general secretary of CPI(M) Prakash Karat had also called for immediate steps to trace the student.
