The Ongoing Quest for Justice: Najeeb Ahmed's Disappearance Continues to Haunt His Family

Najeeb Ahmed, a biotechnology student at Jawaharlal Nehru University, vanished in October 2016 after a confrontation at the campus. While the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has closed the case citing lack of leads, Ahmed's family continues to advocate for justice, alleging inadequate investigation and questioning the impact of Ahmed's religion on the inquiry.

In October 2016, Najeeb Ahmed, a promising Indian student studying biotechnology at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), vanished under perplexing circumstances, sparking a prolonged search for answers. On the night before his disappearance, Ahmed, then aged 27, was involved in a confrontation with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a prominent right-wing student organization. Despite the altercation, the implicated students have consistently denied any links to his subsequent disappearance.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case from local police in 2017, and recently announced that it would close the investigation due to exhausting all potential leads. The Delhi court echoed this sentiment, expressing hope for Ahmed's recovery while confirming that no compelling evidence surfaced during the inquiry into his whereabouts. Ahmed's family, however, remains unconvinced about the thoroughness and transparency of the investigation. Fatima Nafees, his mother, has vehemently criticized the inadequacies, questioning the CBI’s failure to draw conclusions from evidence of the prior scuffle.

Born in a small Uttar Pradesh village, Ahmed was the eldest in a family that made significant sacrifices to support his education at JNU, reflecting their commitment to his future. Nafees recalls her concerns about her son residing in the university's hostel, urging him against it due to its political climate. On October 14, after the scuffle broke out during hostel elections, Ahmed was allegedly denied treatment for his injuries at a hospital unless he filed a police report. He chose not to, returning to campus where he was last seen the following morning.

Witness accounts indicate that Ahmed got into a tuk-tuk, but his abrupt disappearing act—leaving behind personal belongings—has drawn widespread attention and prompted protests over the insufficient police response. The family has actively pursued justice since then, leading a legal battle to prompt more thorough investigations.

Despite a large monetary reward offered for information and significant media coverage, the case has not advanced. A year after the CBI requested the closure, Nafees returned to court challenging their findings and arguing substantive negligence in investigating the ABVP members. The court, however, found no direct evidence linking Ahmed’s disappearance to the earlier confrontation.

Critics of the investigation have raised concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in similar cases, suggesting that Ahmed’s status as a Muslim may have affected the investigation's earnestness. Nafees explicitly asked whether a Hindu student would have elicited a more aggressive police reaction.

While the CBI maintains that it approached the investigation with neutrality and rigor, doubts linger among Ahmed's advocates about the fairness and adequacy of the legal process. The family's vigil for Ahmed continues, with Nafees participating in annual candlelight marches at JNU, and voices in the legal community advocating for a renewed examination of the facts, emphasizing the need for justice irrespective of Ahmed’s background.

As hope wanes, Mr. Ahmed's father conveyed the bittersweet pain of waiting, suggesting that perhaps a nameplate should be placed outside their home for when Najeeb might one day return. The inquiry may be closed, but for those affected, the search for clarity and justice is far from over.