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Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
A mother's heartbreak: The unresolved mystery of missing Indian student
DELHI — Nine years ago, an Indian student vanished into thin air. Najeeb Ahmed was studying biotechnology at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, when he mysteriously went missing in October 2016. The night before his disappearance, the then 27-year-old who lived in one of the university's residential hostels was involved in a scuffle with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a right-wing student group. The students have denied any involvement in his disappearance. For years, India's crime-fighting agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has been trying to figure what may have happened to Ahmed — the agency took over the case from city police in 2017. Now a court in Delhi has finally shut the investigation after the CBI said it had exhuasted all possible leads in the case. "As a parting note, the court earnestly hopes that Najeeb Ahmed shall be traced soon," the court said in the order, which was announced last family, however, have alleged the inquiry was not conducted in a proper manner and said they would appeal the decision in a higher court."What message does it send, that India's premier investigating agency has not been able to find a missing student from one of India's best universities?" Ahmed's mother Fatima Nafees told BBC Hindi."We will not give up until we find our son."Born in a village in Uttar Pradesh, Ahmed, the son of a carpenter, was the eldest of four. His family made many sacrifices to support his JNU education."After completing his undergraduate degree, he was adamant that he wanted to study at JNU," Ms Nafees said."I told him you can take admission, but you won't stay in the hostel. You are too naive. But he didn't listen to me."On the night of 14 October, 2016, Ahmed reportedly got into a scuffle with a group of students affiliated to ABVP who were campaigning for hostel elections. JNU is known for its vibrant and intense student politics, with ideological groups often clashing over campus his testimonies to the CBI, his roommate Mohd Qasim said that Ahmed got injured in the altercation and had to be taken to a public hospital, where he was allegedly refused doctors told him they could not treat his wounds without a formal crime complaint having been made to the police, his roommate to the court order, Ahmed chose not to file a complaint and returned to campus. He went missing the next day, leaving behind his phone, wallet, and clothes in his hostel room.A CBI report says Ahmed last used his phone and laptop around 10am the day he disappeared. A hostel warden told the agency that he saw Ahmed getting into a tuk-tuk in the morning and leaving Nafees, who had been informed of the scuffle over phone by Ahmed's roommate, was on her way to Delhi to see her son. She arrived in the morning and upon finding him missing, filed a missing persons complaint on 15 October days, there was no progress. Protests erupted on campus as students and activists accused authorities of November 2016, Ms Nafees filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, accusing the police of being "slow, misdirected and subjective" and called for a court-monitored probe.A month later, Delhi Police conducted two extensive searches using sniffer dogs across JNU's sprawling campus — but again, nothing was May 2017, the court handed over the investigation to the CBI.A year later, the CBI told the court it had exhausted all possible leads — and asked the bench to close the agency said it had examined more than 500 witnesses, collected information from taxi, bus, train and flight operators, and searched hospitals and morgues, but had found nothing.A one million rupees [$11,600; £8,600] reward for information about Ahmed also failed to yield results, investigators case dragged on for two more years, when in 2020, Ms Nafees returned to court, this time to challenge the CBI's alleged the agency failed to properly probe the students involved in the scuffle with her son. She said they had a "clear motive", had threatened him, and should have been arrested. The CBI denied all allegations saying they had left "no stone unturned" in looking for agency said it had tracked the phone locations of the nine students involved in the fight with Ahmed that night, but found no evidence linking them to his its decision to finally shut the case, a court in Delhi said that the CBI has investigated "all plausible avenues" thoroughly but "no credible information" could be received about Ahmed's judge dismissed Ms Nafees' plea, noting that while witnesses confirmed verbal threats, there was no "direct or circumstantial" evidence linking Ahmed's disappearance to the fight with ABVP members."Such scuffles and exchanges are not unheard of" in the charged atmosphere of JNU, the order court, however, added that the CBI could reopen the case if new information comes to order has been a huge blow for Ahmed's family and Gonsalves, who represented Ms Nafees in the Delhi High Court in 2018, said he still questioned the investigation."The police routinely arrest people for minor crimes in India. It's shocking then, that none of the students were taken into custody for questioning," he Nafees alleges that her son's religion had affected the seriousness of the investigation."If the victim had been a Hindu boy, would the police have responded the same way?" she asked."They would have demolished the houses of those suspected," she alleged, referring to the rising instances where homes of individuals accused of crimes are bulldozed by Indian authorities. The BBC has reached out to the CBI for the agency has consistently maintained that they have carried out the probe impartially. In 2018, the Delhi High Court had said that they had found no evidence that CBI investigated the case unfairly or "under political compulsions".Ms Nafees says she's not done fighting. Every 15 October, the day her son vanished, she joins a candle march at JNU in his memory. The hope has dimmed, but the wait continues."Sometimes I wonder if I should put a nameplate outside our house," said Nafees Ahmed, his father."Our house has been renovated. What if he comes, but can't recognise it?" — BBC
Saudi Gazette
5 days ago
- Saudi Gazette
India court acquits 12 men in 2006 Mumbai train bombings
DELHI — A court in India has acquitted 12 men who had been convicted in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed 187 people and injured more than 800. Judges had in 2015 sentenced five of the accused to death and the remaining seven to life imprisonment. On Monday, a two-judge bench of the Bombay High Court overturned the earlier order, ruling that the prosecution had "utterly failed" to establish that the accused had committed the offences for which they had been convicted. The prosecution can appeal against the order in a higher court. On 11 July 2006, seven blasts ripped through the busy commuter trains during the evening rush hour in one of India's deadliest militant attacks. The bombs, packed into seven pressure cookers and put in bags, detonated within six minutes of each other. The blasts took place in the areas of Matunga, Khar, Mahim, Jogeshwari, Borivali and Mira Road, with most on moving trains and two at stations. The bombs appeared to have targeted first-class compartments, as commuters were returning home from the city's financial district. Indian security agencies blamed the attack on Islamist militants backed by Pakistan, an allegation the country denied. The accused, who were arrested shortly after the blasts, have been in jail since then. One of them, Kamal Ansari, who had been sentenced to death, died of Covid in 2021. In 2015, a special court convicted the men of murder, conspiracy and waging war against the country. The prosecution appealed to confirm the death sentences, while the defence sought acquittal. In July 2024, the Bombay High Court formed the two-judge bench to expedite the hearings. Reports say that over the next six months, the court conducted more than 75 sittings and examined 92 prosecution witnesses and over 50 defence witnesses. In the 667-page order on Monday, the court noted that the defence had questioned the credibility of the witnesses produced by the prosecution, as well as the confessional statements made by the accused. It also acknowledged the defence's contention that the recovered evidence was not maintained in a "sealed condition throughout". — BBC
Leaders
6 days ago
- Leaders
Israel Kills Dozens of Palestinians at Aid Site in Gaza
Israeli forces killed at least 36 Palestinians and injured others near an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Khan Younis, reported Reuters. The US-backed organization denied the incident, while the Israeli army said it only fired warning shots at suspects, amid growing controversary over aid distribution process in the war-torn enclave. Shooting Palestinians At dawn on Saturday, the Israeli troops opened gunfire at Palestinians heading to an aid distribution site in Khan Younis, killing at least 36 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and Nasser Hospital. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at suspects moving near its forces, at a time when the distribution site was not active. It said it was investigating the incident. However, an eyewitness told Reuters that there were no warnings before the shooting. 'We thought they came out to organize us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us,' Gaza resident Mohamed al-Khalidi said. GHF Response The GHF denied any incidents or fatalities on Saturday, adding that it warned people not to head to its sites in the dark. 'We have repeatedly warned aid seekers not to travel to our sites overnight and early morning hours,' the GHF said. 'The reported (Israeli military) activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometers away from the nearest GHF site,' it said in a statement. The GHF has sparked worldwide anger over its aid distribution mechanism that caused mounting death toll near distribution sites. The Israeli and US-backed organization works with private American contractors to get aid supplies into Gaza. Global Condemnation The GHF model bypasses the UN-led system as Israel claims that Hamas loots aid shipments, an accusation the Palestinian movement denies. Under the GHF operation system, Palestinian aid seekers are required to travel to distribution sites each week to get one package per family. However, the UN and other international organizations have criticized the GHF operation model, refusing to cooperate with the organization amid fears it aims to force the displacement of Palestinians and saying there is no evidence that Hamas steals aid. Moreover, the UN has called the GHF model 'unsafe' and a 'breach of humanitarian impartiality standards.' Earlier in July, Amnesty International accused Israel and the GHF of using starvation tactics as a weapon of war against Palestinians as part of the Israeli ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. It also said that Israel has turned aid seeking into a 'booby trap for desperate starved Palestinians' by preventing UN and other key humanitarian organizations from distributing certain aid items and by maintaining the GHF 'militarized aid scheme.' Rising Deaths Shooting incidents near GHF distribution sites have been on the rise in recent weeks. On July 15, 2025, the UN Rights Office said that since May 27, 2025, at least 875 people in Gaza while seeking aid; 674 of them near the GHF sites. The remaining 201 were killed while seeking aid on the routes of aid convoys or near aid convoys run by the UN or its partners. Furthermore, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, voiced deep concerns over civilian deaths near aid sites amid the spread of deadly malnutrition among children. In the light of this, the UNRWA Director of Communications, Juliette Touma, said: 'Our teams on the ground – UNRWA teams and other United Nations teams – have spoken to survivors of these killings, these starving children included, who were shot at while on their way to pick up very little food.' Touma warned that babies are dying as a result of acute malnutrition caused by Israel's blockade on aid entry into Gaza. 'We've been banned from bringing any humanitarian assistance into Gaza for more than four months now,' she said, pointing to a 'significant increase' in child malnutrition since the Israeli blockade began on 2 March. The Israeli war on Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians and wounded over 138,000 since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Short link : Post Views: 75
