JNU students lock up VC, senior officials over missing youth

The protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University over a missing student turned volatile on Wednesday with the agitating students locking down the vice chancellor and other senior officials in the administrative building.

"We have been locked inside the building since 2.30 pm. There is a female colleague with us who is unwell as she is diabetic," JNU Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar said.

The VC and other senior officials are locked for more than eight hours as the students are lying down outside the administration block saying the officials were free to walk over them.

The JNU students union defended its stand claiming there has been no "illegal detention".

"We have not illegally confined anybody in JNU administrative building. Electricity and all kind of supplies are here. We have also sent food for people inside," Mohit Pandey, President, JNUSU said.

Police officials were seen outside the campus awaiting a nod from the administration to enter the premises.

A large number of students had gathered at the administrative block in the afternoon to protest. After sloganeering and demonstration the students blocked the gates of the building.

After intervention from the security the locks were opened, but in the evening as most of the staff left, the students again continued with the blockade.

"The blockade is due to the insensitive way of handling the matter of Najeeb Ahmed -- the violence against him by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad which led to him missing from the campus for over five days now and the JNU administration trying to shield the culprits while refusing to lodge an FIR," the JNUSU President said.

The situation remained tense with the left-backed JNUSU and ABVP levelling allegations and counter-allegations. ABVP alleged that there is inconsistency in the statements of the JNUSU president Mohit Pandey and the roommate of Ahmad.

Meanwhile, at least 12 students were summoned earlier in the day by JNU administration to appear before the proctorial committee in connection with a case involving a missing student amid protests by students who claimed vice chancellor acted in an "insensitive" manner on the issue.

A student of School of Biotechnology, Najeeb Ahmed, allegedly went missing on Saturday following a brawl on the campus the night before.

An FIR for kidnapping and wrongfully confining a person was lodged at Vasant Kunj North police station yesterday after the police received a complaint from the student's guardians.

"The JNU administration had summoned 12 students to depose before the proctorial committee whose names have been associated with the incidence of violence at Mahi-Mandvi hostel on October 14.

"The committee has also asked anyone who wants to depose to come forward and help in the investigation. Condemning the students for blocking the administrative block, JNU teachers also urged the administration to put more pressure on the police to find Ahmed and appealed for him to return without fear of victimisation," a statement said.

The vice chancellor and other top JNU officials briefed the media for the first time since the disappearance on October 15 and said that all necessary measures have been taken to trace the boy and is also in touch with the family.

"But we are really concerned about his safety and is constantly in touch with the police providing them whatever information required. We also appeal to Najeeb if his is reading this to return to the university. We assure him of all help," said Kumar.

Accepting the fact that so far no leads have been made on the episode of Ahmed's disappearance from the campus, Kumar added, "nobody knows what has happened to him so far".

"The family had filed a missing complaint and when we approached the police we were already told that an FIR has been lodged by the family," said Chintamani Mahapatra, Rector of JNU.

Photograph: ANI/Twitter