Jawaharlal Nehru University administration has issued show cause notices to 20 students including sedition accused Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid, seeking explanation for the alleged 'illegal confinement' of vice chancellor and other officials in the varsity building.

A group of agitating students had confined the VC and other senior officials in the administrative building for over 20 hours last month alleging inaction on the administration's part in locating missing student Najeeb Ahmad.

Najeeb, 27, a student of School of Biotechnology and a native of Badaun in Uttar Pradesh, went missing on October 15 following an on-campus scuffle allegedly with the members of Akhil Bharatiya Vdiyarthi Parishad, the night before.

"Twenty students including Kanhaiya and Umar have been sent notices over the illegal confinement and have been asked to depose before the Proctorial committee which is probing the issue after a complaint was received from the university's Chief Security Officer," a senior varsity official said.

JNU students and teachers have been agitating against the university administration and Delhi Police for their failure to locate the missing student.