A growing number of celebrities and film personalities are speaking out in support of the Cockroach Janta Party protests in New Delhi and against what they call the “police crackdown” on demonstrators.
A day after violent confrontation on the streets of Delhi, several actors and singers have backed the students and called for dialogue.
Punjabi actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh, who had earlier distanced himself from the protest, on Tuesday criticised the police action against students.
“Whatever happened is sad. Students should not be treated like this,” the singer posted on Instagram on Tuesday morning.
Actor couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza also expressed solidarity with the protesters and urged that their voices be heard.
Before the protest march, veteran actress Shabana Azmi and actor-filmmaker Prakash Raj had joined protesters at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Azmi stressed that the protest was peaceful and rooted in constitutional values. “All of us who are here have come for a peaceful protest, to exercise the right granted to us by our country’s Constitution. Mahatma Gandhi taught us how to conduct a peaceful protest, and we have come here on that very foundation. We have absolutely no intention of causing any kind of violence, and we stand here firmly in that hope,” she said.
After Monday’s action against the protesters, a growing number of celebrities have spoken out against the use of force.
Actor Huma Qureshi said the visuals from the protest would stay with her “for a very long time”. She said seeing peaceful protesters met with “such brute force and lathis” had left her with “a deep sense of sadness”.
Film writer Sutapa Sikdar wrote that many of the protesters were students who had arrived “with 20 rupees in their pocket” and “full of hope” while seeking accountability. She added that many were not “rich influential papas’ babies” and that “no one came to save them”. She said they had stood their ground, as they perhaps had all their lives, referring to struggles of “waiting for buses, trains, admission, leaks”.
Actor and filmmaker Nandita Das said she stood in solidarity with those who believed democracy was strengthened when people could gather, speak, listen and be heard.
In a detailed post on Instagram, actor Bhumi Pednekar said violence could not be the answer and urged that the focus remain on students affected by gaps in the education system.
Other celebrities including Soni Razdan, Zeenat Aman, Abhay Deol, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Omi Vaidya and Sonakshi Sinha have publicly backed the movement and appealed for peaceful protest.
