From the first scholarship amount of Rs5,000 at his dream institution, the Jawaharlal Nehru University’s missing student Najeeb Ahmad had left Rs3,000 with his mother in Vaidotola locality in Badaun, Uttar Pradesh.
“Mera beta mujhse boley bagyair khana bhi nahi khata tha, uska bhaag jaana tou namumkin hain (My son would not even have food without speaking to me, running away on his own is impossible,” said Ahmad’s mother Fatima Nafees. She is camping at her sister-in-law’s place in Zakir Nagar, New Delhi. Ahmad had left the money to help his family and siblings meet daily needs, with a promise to send “more from his scholarship in future.”
Fatima Nafees has two more sons and a daughter. Ahmad’s father stays home after he fell from the roof, fracturing all his bones. Her younger son Mujeeb says, “My mother will not leave Delhi without finding Ahmad.” She complains that “instead of questioning the boys involved in the brawl with Ahmad, everyone, including the Delhi Police, has been suspecting that Ahmad is hiding on his own.”
After a brawl with three students from undergraduate courses in foreign languages on night of October 14, the 27-year-old MSc (Biotechnology) student went missing the following morning. It has been 23 days and no clue about his whereabouts has surfaced.
“Studious and shy” Ahmad qualified exams in Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia. He studied in Jamia for around a month and then migrated to Jawaharlal Nehru University in August. Ahmad had returned to the university on October 13 and within a day of his return from home, the world changed for the entire family.
According to Ahmad’s siblings, he was “not very social” and “focused” on academics. “We would play and fight but Ahmad was the quietest... As his mother was overburdened after his father got bed-ridden, Ahmad had the sense of responsibility to work hard and support his family,” added Sadaf Musharraf, his cousin who is a teacher.
Her (Sadaf) father is a retired principal of a civic body school. According to them, Ahmad would come to Delhi only when he had to appear for entrance examinations. “He was completely apolitical,” added Sadaf. The family has had traumatic time since Ahmad went missing.
Fatima Nafees is adamant in her pursuit of finding Ahmad and “take him back forever”. While Mujeeb incoherently corrects his speech to refer Ahmad as “he is” rather than “he was”, Nafees helplessly asks, “I am requesting the people involved in Ahmad’s kidnapping and assault to release him. I will take him back forever and not even complain against them.”
The family has demanded action from the administration against the students involved in the attack against Ahmad but the administration has refused to act until internal enquiry is completed.
On Sunday, Ahmad’s family, including his mother, was detained by the Delhi Police while they were taking their protest with JNU Students’ Union (JNUSU) to India Gate. While JNU administration has reiterated their concerns and support to the family in finding Ahmad, both the sides entered into a cold war-like situation.