After keeping Jawaharlal Nehru University vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar and other officials under siege for over 20 hours, students resolved to change their "method" of protest and resort to peaceful agitation till missing student Najeeb Ahmed is traced.
The students who had during the day "let out" the VC and officials only to attend the Academic Council meeting, later decided to end the blockade and not use confinement as a method.
"We had an all party meeting and we decided that we will not resort to confinement now even as we will continue with our agitation till Ahmed is found and a proper enquiry is conducted into the entire issue," a member of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union said.
The student groups, however, were divided over changing the strategy of the protest. While the Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organisation and the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Student Association, two groups active on campus, were of the opinion of continuing the confinement after the AC meeting, All India Students Association opined otherwise.
The confinement of the officials by students attracted criticism from various quarters including JNU Teachers Association, which has been supportive of the students union over past issues raised by them.
"Howsoever peaceful the confinement is, it is wrong," JNUTA President Ajay Patnaik said.
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.
Najeeb's mother said that she wants her son back as she alleged that the administration has been "insensitive" towards her.
"Mujhe mera beta lauta do (Return my son to me). I won't demand any action against anybody. I just want him back and I will leave once he is handed over to me," Fatima Nafees told reporters as she broke down sitting outside the JNU's administration block where students have been agitating since five days.
"The administration did not inform us about him being missing on the campus. I came and approached the police myself. We forced our way into VC's office where he just told us that he is trying his best. He has been so insensitive towards us.
"My son is neither politically active nor somebody who messes up with anybody. I cannot even believe he had a scuffle with somebody," she added.
Najeeb's sister Sadaf Musharraf said, "I got a call from police station that a dead body has been found and we need to come for identification if it was Najeeb's. Fortunately it was not. The Rector told me that he is not responsible for whatever happens somewhere else and said that he will see me in the court".
The missing student's family had been backed by JNU students union which has been protesting for the last six days.
IMAGE: Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar coming out of the office on Thursday after being gheraoed since Wednesday by students. Photograph: PTI Photo
