Bollywood legend Naseeruddin Shah has thrown his support behind the students protesting at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, saying that he is both deeply emotional and furious over the police action against demonstrators during Monday’s Chalo Sansad March.
In a strongly worded video message posted on his social media accounts, the veteran actor urged the protesting students not to give up, warning the government that the events will not be forgotten.
“I would like to say two things to you all. The first thing is that if an ignorant person leads this country, then his heart will want the whole country to become as ignorant, incomprehensible, and merciless as he is. After completing two illustrious acting courses from the National School of Drama and the Film and Television Institute of India, what I have learned the most about the craft is from those children and educated personalities whom I tried to teach once,” Shah said.
He then spoke directly about the treatment of the young protesters.
“I sympathize with them. Iss waqt mera dil bhi bhara hua hai aur main ghusse se khaul bhi raha hoon yeh dekh kar ke humare bachchon ke saath kis tarah zulm ka bartav kiya ja raha hai unn gundon ke haathon joh mujhe America ke agents ki yaad dilate hai, muh pe naqab lagaye hue, haath mein danda liye hue. Kabhi apne bachchon ke baare mein bhi socha karo aur yeh bhi socho tumhara anjaam tumhe bhi ek din milega zaroor,” he said.
He closed with a message for the students, urging them to keep up the fight.
“I want to tell all these children not to lose hope. Many people sympathise with you. Many people are with you. Keep fighting. I have always expected a lot from the nation’s youth, and my confidence in them has only gotten stronger now. I’d also like to tell the government, sab yaad rakha jaayega,” Shah added.
Shah’s comments came after tensions rose in Delhi on Monday, when police carried out a lathi charge during the Chalo Sansad March at Jantar Mantar. The action triggered widespread outrage and drew criticism from several public figures.
The demonstration took place days after activist Sonam Wangchuk was removed from the protest site and shifted to Safdarjung Hospital. Wangchuk, the protesting students and the Cockroach Janata Party, which has been leading the demonstrations, have been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and other alleged irregularities in the examination process.
Shah is among a large number of film and music personalities to have voiced support for the protesters. Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj joined the march in person at Jantar Mantar, with Azmi reciting verses of Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz to the crowd.
Several others expressed solidarity online. Sonu Sood wrote that students needed “arms that embrace them, not batons.” Dia Mirza said that the day had “revealed many truths,” adding she felt both “hopeful and angry” after alleging that force was used against protesters including women and children.
Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia Deshmukh issued a joint statement saying the country’s youth deserved to be heard “loud, clear and without fear.” Sonakshi Sinha pointed out that the events of the march had broken “the heart of an entire nation.” Huma Qureshi said the visuals of peaceful protesters being met with force had left her with “a deep sense of sadness,” while Aditi Rao Hydari called for a response built on “respect, dignity and empathy.”
Diljit Dosanjh shared an emotional message on Instagram calling the scenes from Delhi “very unfortunate” and said that he was prepared to be labelled “anti-national” again for speaking out, a reference to the criticism he faced for supporting the 2020-21 farmers’ protests.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap questioned the conduct of the police, writing, “I didn’t know wearing a uniform meant giving up your conscience and humanity.”
Musician Vishal Dadlani also condemned the crackdown, while rapper Honey Singh announced he was postponing the teaser for his upcoming song “Moonlight” in solidarity with the students.
Swara Bhasker, Vir Das, Richa Chadha, Pooja Bhatt, Bhumi Pednekar and Nandita Das were among several other artists who also spoke out against the police action.
Several prominent Bollywood stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn, have not issued any public statement on the protests.
