IGNOU Student Mukul Jain ‘Goes Missing’ From JNU Campus: Police

Mukul Jain was captured on a CCTV leaving the JNU campus around 12 pm on Monday.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Mukul Jain)

A 26-year-old PhD student of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), has gone missing from the JNU campus, police said.

Mukul Jain, enrolled in IGNOU's Life Sciences course, has been missing since 8 January they said.

He was not a registered student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University and had gone to meet his research adviser in the JNU campus, and later went missing, police said.

Earlier in the day, police had said, Jain was a student of the JNU.

Director of Research Unit of IGNOU, Kaustuva Barik confirmed that, "Jain was a PhD scholar of the open university whose first supervisor was from the IGNOU, and a co-supervisor from the JNU."

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">His first supervisor informed me that the student went missing from the JNU campus, the day before yesterday. He had told his friends that he was going somewhere. We will offer all kind of assistance needed (to trace him).</span>

<span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Director of Research Unit of IGNOU, Kaustuva Barik</span>

Jain was captured on a CCTV leaving the JNU campus around 12 pm on Monday. An NDTV report said Jain left his phone and wallet at the campus.

A missing report was registered in the evening of 8 January. It is suspected that he was going through some problems in his relationship.

Senior police officer from the South-west District

Till now, no foul play has been suspected, they added.

JNU students have started sharing the news of Jain having gone missing on social media.

Incidentally, the prestigious JNU has been in the news for last one year or so for the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed. Najeeb, a JNU student, went missing from the Mahi-Mandvi hostel of the university on 15 October 2016, following a scuffle with some other students, allegedly affiliated to the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the previous night.

The Delhi High Court on 16 May 2016 handed over to the CBI the investigation into the disappearance of Najeeb, a student of MSc in Biotechnology.

On 16 October 2017 – a whole year after his disappearance – the Delhi High Court criticised the CBI for its "complete lack of interest" in the probe.

The HC had further said that "there is nothing on the status report (by CBI). There was more in the Delhi Police reports. We are saying there is complete lack of interest (by CBI). There is no result either way. No result even on paper."

(With inputs from PTI)

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