New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS): The CPI-M on Monday accused Delhi Police of showing "criminal negligence" for failing to trace a JNU student who went missing over three weeks ago.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) also demanded immediate action against the police "for its highly condemnable actions against JNU students when male police manhandled and harassed girl students" during a demonstration here on Sunday.

"Equally deplorable was the totally unwarranted action against the grieving mother of the missing student Najeeb who was dragged on the roads and arrested," the CPI-M said in a statement. 

"Instead of launching an urgent and serious search for the missing student, the police had beaten, harassed and arrested those demanding justice.

"The Delhi Police is directly under the central government. The Police Commissioner has displayed criminal negligence in the case of the missing student. 

"It is shameful that the Home Minister (Rajnath Singh) remains silent when such incidents are taking place in the capital of the country. He should immediately intervene," the CPI-M said.

Najeeb went missing from the Jawaharlal Nehru University after a tiff on the night of October 14 with alleged members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in the campus.

The ABVP has denied any involvement in the student's disappearance.