CPI (M) Polit Bureau member M.A. Baby has said that the disappearance of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Najeeb Ahmed must be seen as part of the attempts being made to muffle dissenting voices by right-wing fundamentalist forces.
Speaking at a demonstration organised by the Purogamana Kala Sahithya Sangham (PuKaSa) in front of the Secretariat on Saturday evening, Mr. Baby said that the delay in locating Najeeb, who has been missing for over a month, was a failure on the part of the Union Home Ministry and the Delhi Police. “The episode is proof of the scant regard shown by the Centre for the safety of the citizens. The student had gone missing after an on-campus scuffle with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). The authorities are yet to take any concrete action. The lapse can only be perceived as dereliction of duty by the police,” he said.
He said the incident must be seen in the context of the killings of Mohammed Akhlaq, lynched in Dadri for allegedly storing beef, scholar M.M. Kalburgi, and rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.
PuKaSa state general secretary V.N. Murali and socio-cultural activists, including S. Rajasekharan and K.M. Gangadharan, were present.
