Voices deserve to be heard, they are the heartbeat of our democracy: Celebrities back CJP led student protest, condemn police crackdown

As the protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the NEET exam paper leak rages on, many prominent film celebrities have spoken out in support of the movement led by Cockroach Janta Party and condemned the hard police crackdown on demonstrators in the capital on Monday, July 20.

A day after violent confrontation on the streets of Delhi, several actors and singers have backed the students and called for dialogue. Here are some of the celebrities who have extended support to the CJP-led protest and condemned police violence.

Diljit Dosanjh

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. Calling the "voice of the people" the "voice of God", Dosanjh urged authorities to "listen to the students' grievances". Pointing out that he was called "anti-national" for speaking out during the farmers' protest, the singer said he had to suffer a lot and "will again be called anti-national".

Read: 'People's voice is God's voice': Diljit Dosanjh reacts to student protest

Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh

Actor couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza also expressed solidarity with the protesters and urged that their voices be heard.

"We stand in solidarity with the youth of our country. Their voices deserve to be heard - loud, clear, and without fear. They are the heartbeat of our democracy and the true architects of our nation's future. Let us listen, support, and empower them. The energy, courage, and dreams of our young people will shape the India we aspire to build," the couple posted on X.

Shabana Azmi

The veteran actress was the only prominent celebrity at #SansadChalo protest march in New Delhi on Monday. 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.

Prakash Raj

Huma Qureshi

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".

Nandita Das

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.

"Constructive dissent is what keeps a democracy alive," she wrote, adding that she was "in spirit with all those marching peacefully in Delhi for the India we believe in".

Bhumi Pednekar

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.

Sonakshi Sinha

Sinha had extended her support to activist Sonam Wangchuk last week. Since then Sonakshi has been actively sharing posts in support of the CJP protest. Sinha said protesters had continued to stand by their beliefs despite discomfort and challenges. She urged everyone participating in the planned Parliament march on July 20 to continue raising their voices peacefully.

Ishaan Khatter

Khatter shared an image from the protest that read as, “Loyalty to the government is not patriotism. Loyalty to the constitution is.”

Ishaan Khatter's story Photograph: ()

Not just Bollywood, but several actors from south India, too have expressed concern over the violence that took place on Monday in what should have been a peaceful march. Malayalam actor Tovino Thomas took to Instagram and shared, "When the future generation of a nation speaks up, and their voices are met with repressive force, it is the future itself that is being stamped down. It is faith in democracy that is being drained away.

What did these students do wrong? Did they destroy property? Did they resort to violence? What exactly did they do to deserve this treatment?

To every person protesting for a just cause, peacefully, in any part of our country, I extend my wholehearted solidarity. The right to dissent is not a threat to democracy; in fact it is one of its foundations."

Parvathy Thiruvothu shared videos of police crackdown on students protesting, questioning the government's lack of apathy for dialogue.