New Delhi: Bollywood actors and artistes from the film industry are extending their solidarity with student protestors, who faced police action while demonstrating against alleged NEET paper leaks and demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The latest to have spoken up is Salman Khan, who on July 22 posted in support of the students. In his social media post, the 60-year-old actor wrote, “It was such a peaceful movement, feel so sad that it had to take a violent turn. My heart goes out to the students and their families who were hurt. Paper leak is a very serious issue, and I am glad to know n see that the kids of our country have come together for a better educational system, and their parents supported them.”
Salman said that he appreciated the students’ way to protest. He wrote, “I truly appreciate the stand they have taken, showing dedication, sincerity, and keenness to study hard and make their future and a greater, educated India. This andolan, this protest, is the right way to go abt it, n the students have done this peacefully. So courageous and brave. Driven and motivated towards education, this generation will make India proud…”
Actor Alia Bhatt also posted in support of the students on July 23. She wrote, “behind every student standing their ground is a dream, a family’s hope, a journey of countless sacrifices.”
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Some posted, other joined the CJP-led protest
Many actors and singers have been posting about the CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar, and the subsequent action by Delhi Police on July 20, which left several students and police personnel injured.
Panchayat actor Raghubir Yadav, in a video post shared on Instagram on July 22, said, “I am aghast. I can’t believe how innocent students have been mercilessly beaten up. If masked men, wearing khaki uniform, has beaten up students at anyone’s order, the universe will not forgive them. What was the students’ fault?”
“Every part of my body is with the students. I salute them,” Yadav added in the video post.
Then there are actors who joined the protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Actor Huma Qureshi came with her brother, actor Saqib Saleem and actor Rachit Singh to show solidarity with students, who have been demanding accountability and education reforms for more than 20 days now.
Dhurandhar actor Ayesha Khan, who joined the protest in Mumbai, was dragged into a police van and detained by the police on July 22.
Sonakshi Sinha, who was one of the first few actors to have vocally shown support to the CJP-led protest on social media, has been consistently at it. In her latest video post on Instagram, she talks about the responsibility to speak up for causes that matter.
Veteran actors Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah and Prakash Raj also joined the protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and extended support to the students who had been on hunger strike to demand educational reforms.
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Actor Dia Mirza, who is also the UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India, shared a post on social media saying, “Democracy is strengthened not when dissent is silenced but when it is heard…Justice, compassion and restraint are not signs of weakness. They are true measures of a society’s strength.
Actor Ratna Pathak Shah also extended her support to the protest. In an Instagram reel posted Wednesday, she invoked the story of Eklavya from the Mahabharata and asked whether those in power expected students to sacrifice their futures so that “a few people” could remain in power. She captioned it “Aaj ke Eklavya (today’s Eklavya)”.
Actor Hrithik Roshan, who plays the role of a teacher in his film Super 30, had posted in support of the students’ protest on 18 July. In his social media post, Roshan had said, “This feels absolutely true. When I played the role of a teacher in one of my films, I got the opportunity to understand closely the kind of mental stress and trauma our students go through.”
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)