Hundreds of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students and the missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmad’s mother were detained here on Sunday while they were proceeding to stage a protest near India Gate against police inaction in the case.
One of the protesters, Shahid Raza, alleged that police manhandled Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees. The detainees were later taken to Mandir Marg police station, police said. “The police detained us on way to India Gate. They manhandled Ahmad’s mother... in fact, two young women riding an auto-rickshaw were detained by male police officials who were not accompanied by any woman police official,” Raza said.
A police official said that the protesters were detained due to restrictions under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, banning assembly of four or more people at one place, are in force around India Gate. Joint Commissioner of Police Dependar Pathak denied that Ahmad’s mother was mistreated. “During JNU protest none were manhandled. A group of JNU students, along with Ahmad’s mother assembled near ASI. They were persuaded not to move towards India Gate. They all were taken in a bus. Fatima Nafees, the mother of Ahmad was dully attended by women police officers and dropped to her place of stay”, Pathak said.