It’s been 18 days since Najeeb Ahmad, a Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student has been missing after a scuffle between him and some members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in a JNU hostel on the night of October 14. He was allegedly beaten up by ABVP members but the Hindu nationalist outfit has denied the allegations.
Heba Ahmed, a student from the University gave a fiery speech at Freedom Square, JNU on why the Muslim identity of Najeeb is important. Just like Rohith Vemula’s caste and Jyoti Singh Pandey’s gender, Najeeb’s religion is important. She also criticised the University leaders and called for Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union to strengthen the intensity of the movement.
The harshest words were reserved for the Rashtriya Swayamasevak Sangh whom she accused of creating a division between Hindus and Muslims ever since the creation of Pakistan. She invoked the constitution and spoke about how it grants special rights to linguistic and religious minorities. She also rubbished the claims that the BJP will benefit if people highlighted Najeeb’s Muslim identity.
Listen to Heba on why she thinks that anyone not accepting Najeeb as a minority student is diluting the issue.
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Image Source: Anas S R Vithura/ Facebook