Delhi Police constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to trace a missing JNU hostel inmate following a direction from Union home minister Rajnath Singh as protests by a section of students raged on in the campus over alleged inaction by authorities.
“We have formed an SIT under Additional DCP-II (South) Manishi Chandra to probe in the case. We have also informed the SSPs concerned as well as police officers across India and have given out advertisements in newspapers,” said Nupur Prasad, Additional DCP-I(South).
The student, Najeeb Ahmed, went missing on Saturday following a brawl on the campus the night before.
Delhi Police say they have formed 10 teams to find Ahmed in the Capital and neighbouring states, and have announced a cash award of Rs. 50,000 for anyone with information about the student.
“We have also announced a reward of Rs. 50,000 for any person who provides information about Najeeb,” Prasad said.
Singh called up the commissioner of Delhi Police and gave the instructions to set up the special team to find the missing student.
Agitating JNU students confined the vice-chancellor, M Jagadesh Kumar, and about 12 other officials in the university’s administrative building on Wednesday.
Students let V-C M Jagadesh Kumar and other officials to step out for a meeting after detaining them – allegedly without food or water — angering a section of the protesters, who shouted slogans of “JNU murdabad”. They said protests will continue.
“We have some leads and it being developed to ensure a safe rescue of Ahmed. Not much related to investigation can be shared at this moment, as it may hamper our efforts,” Nupur Prasad, additional DCP, South, said.
The officer said that the JNU administration is also making efforts to trace Najeeb.
Prasad, however, refused to divulge details about the locations where they have searched for Najeeb.
Debunking the kidnapping theory that has been doing the rounds ever since Najeeb went missing, she said, “We haven’t got any CCTV footage but an eyewitness saw him going out of the Parthasarathy Rocks area. The family hasn’t told us about receiving any ransom call for his release.”
She also said that they have seized some medicines, laptop and his phone, which he had left in his hostel room.
