The mother and sister of missing Jawaharlal Nehru University student Najeeb Ahmad on Tuesday sought Home Minister Rajnath Singh's intervention in the case, ANI reported. Singh assured the 27-year-old's family that the Centre would take appropriate action.
Ahmad's sister, in a statement to the press said, "Please do not try to defame Najeeb. He was a model student," Her comments appeared to be a reaction to some reports that claimed Ahmad was "emotionally disturbed" and on anti-depressants. His mother said, "Najeeb used to have trouble sleeping and would sometimes take sleeping pills. Other than that he had no problem."
Officials said Ahmad's family is scheduled to meet Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung soon. Jung's office had issued a statement saying all efforts were being made to trace him. The statement said more than 20,000 missing posters had been put up in and around Delhi, 300 auto-rickshaw drivers had been interrogated and 150 personnel had been deployed to search for him.
On November 6, the Delhi Police had detained Ahmad's mother and a group of students while they were protesting against his disappearance at India Gate.
Ahmad had been living in JNU's Mahi-Mandavi hostel when he got into a spat with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad while they were campaigning for the mess secretary elections. Ahmad was initially described by university officials as an "accused" in the events of that night, but after he went missing, the police registered a case of abduction and offered a reward for any information on his whereabouts. Following orders from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the Delhi Police also formed a special team to trace Ahmad.
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