Why did you omit details of Najeeb being beaten, HC raps Delhi Police

GAPS IN REPORT Court asks why cops waited to question other students, police to explain lapses on December 9

NEW DELHI: The high court on Monday expressed reservation over Delhi Police’s status report, which ignored crucial details of JNU student Najeeb Ahmed getting beaten up by a group of students before he went missing.

Najeeb, a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun, went missing from the university hostel on October 15 — a day after an alleged on-campus scuffle with Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members.

“We notice on page 4 of the status report filed by the police, although reference is made of Najeeb being taken to Sagdarjung Hospital…We are surprised as to why the background is missing – what led to Najeeb being taken to hospital,” a bench Najeeb suffering from acute depression and under heavy medication since August 2012 He was expelled from hostel after he slapped a student thrice in front of his room He went into hiding as he was probably scared over expulsion

of justices GS Sistani and Vinod Goel remarked.

It directed Delhi Police to explain the reason for the “lapse” in a separate affidavit on the next date of hearing — December 9. The bench asked why the police waited till November 11 to interrogate the people with whom Najeeb allegedly had an altercation on the Cops putting out misleading reports to take attention away from possible role of ABVP in abduction and possible physical extermination of Najeeb

Police not likely to make any progress in the involvement of ABVP member as it is close to the ruling government

night of October 14-15, and against whom a criminal complaint was lodged on October 17.

“You (police) have plain cloth personnel. Shadow a couple of them,” the bench said.

Najeeb’s mother, Fatima Nafees, sat on one of the back benches in the courtroom and wept the entire duration of the proceeding. Worried after a late night call from her son on the night of October 14, she rushed to meet him in Delhi the next day.

She called Najeeb on reaching Delhi, at which point he told her to meet him in his hostel room. When she reached the hostel room, she could not find him. Staying at her aunt’s place in Delhi, she has been fighting for her son’s return.

Forty-five days since Najeeb’s disappearance, the court assured it will look into all theories over his disappearance. These include police’s main theory of Najeeb being depressed and going into hiding as he was probably ashamed of being expelled from the hostel.

After the alleged scuffle, Najeeb was expelled from the hostel. But later, the authorities decided to defer the expulsion.

Senior advocate Colin Gonzalves, appearing for Fatima, said police were not exploring the possibility of Najeeb’s abduction. ABVP members allegedly threatened him.

The court noted that a student getting beaten up in a college hostel was “not unusual”, but no one disappears over it.

The court also asked the varsity to reconsider Najeeb’s expulsion from the hostel, if not already done so.

“No one can just disappear from here. It creates a sense of insecurity in people,” the court said.

“Cut across all political barriers. Get him back. You will get your answers at either of the two places, Jamia or JNU. No need to go to Aligarh or any other place so far,” the bench told the police, which said an auto driver claimed to have dropped off Najeeb at the Jamia Milia Islamia University.