India’s film fraternity backs student movement, condemns police crackdown on NEET protesters
New Delhi: The ongoing Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests over examination irregularities and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2026 paper leak have sparked unprecedented wave of support from India’s film fraternity, with several prominent actors, filmmakers and artists backing the student movement and condemning the police crackdown on protesters.
According to Kashmir Media Service, veteran actor Shabana Azmi joined the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” march at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where she recited verses of renowned Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and expressed solidarity with the protesters, drawing loud applause from the crowd.
Punjabi actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh shared an emotional message on Instagram, calling the scenes from Delhi “very unfortunate” and urging authorities to listen to the students. Referring to the criticism he faced for supporting the farmers’ movement, he said he was prepared to be labelled “anti-national” once again for speaking out.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap strongly condemned the police action against the protesters, questioning whether any police officer would refuse to follow an order they believed was morally wrong. “I didn’t know wearing a uniform meant giving up your conscience and humanity,” he wrote.
Actor Prakash Raj, who also participated in the student march carrying a copy of the Indian constitution, questioned the silence of many in the film industry. He said such moments reveal who truly stands with the people, adding, “History may forgive those who made mistakes, but it will never forgive those who remained silent.”
Several other celebrities extended support through social media. Sonakshi Sinha shared images from the protest site, saying, “Remember, many bones were broken, and the heart of an entire nation was shattered.” Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza issued a joint statement saying India’s youth deserved to be heard “loud, clear and without fear”. Sonu Sood urged compassion over force, saying, “Our students need hugs, not batons.” Bhumi Pednekar said violence could never be the answer, while Huma Qureshi said the visuals of peaceful protesters being met with force were deeply disturbing. Nandita Das said, “Constructive dissent is what keeps a democracy alive.”
Support also came from Vir Das, Dia Mirza, Aditi Rao Hydari, Vijay Varma, Neeraj Pandey, Sahiba Bali, Swara Bhasker, Vishal Dadlani, Chinmayi Sripaada, Sutapa Sikdar, Zeenat Aman and several other public figures, who either expressed solidarity with the students or called for dialogue and accountability.
The protests intensified after Ladakhi climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the resignation of Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak, was hospitalised following his forcible removal from the protest site. On Monday, the CJP’s “Chalo Sansad” march witnessed clashes between protesters and police, with police firing tear gas and baton-charging protesters to prevent them from marching towards the Indian parliament. Reportedly, over 150 people were injured in the clashes.
