Naseeruddin Shah calls Delhi Police ‘hooligans’ like America's ICE agents, backs student protest

A day after a video went viral claiming veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah had secretly taken part in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar protest, which he did not, the actor has finally reacted. He strongly condemned the police action against students and protesters during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ March.

On Monday, 20th, the peaceful protest took a violent turn when the protestors started marching towards the Parliament in New Delhi, as police too sought answers over the alleged irregularities in the NEET paper. To stop the crowd of thousands, Delhi Police resorted to firing tear gas and beating protesters with sticks and plastic batons.

Naseeruddin Shah condemns the lathi charge on protesters.

Shah has never shied away from speaking his true words, and two days after the peaceful student protest, arranged by the group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), took a brutal turn. Several celebrities have slammed how police reacted to the situation and how brutally they handled the crowd, which had young students.

In the clip that has been shared on X, Main Wapas Aaunga actor condemned the lathi charge on the protestors as he backed the students.

Without taking names, Shah has launched a scathing indirect attack on the government amid the NEET protests. The veteran actor, in a viral video, said things like “ignorant” leader, who wants the public to be like him, foolish, incompetent, and merciless.

‘’Agar ek jaahil iss mulk ki rehnumaayi kare to uska dil yahi chahega ki poora mulk ussi ki tarah jaahil, nasamajh, naakabil aur berehem bane (If a fool runs this country, his heart will want that the entire country becomes ignorant, foolish, incompetent, and merciless like him)."

With the anger that was visible on his face, Shah did not hold back. Calling the police action “zulm,” he said he was boiling with anger after watching students being beaten by masked men with sticks, whom he called 'hooligans' and compared to America’s ICE agents.

"Iss waqt mera dil bhi bhara hua hai aur main gusse se khaul bhi raha hoon yeh dekhkar ke humare bachchon ke saath kis tarah zulm ka bartaav kiya ja raha hai unn gundon ke haathon joh mujhe America ke ICE 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. (Right now, my heart is aching, and I am also boiling with anger watching how our kids have been treated by these goons who remind me of American ICE agents, wearing masks and carrying sticks. Think about your own children sometimes and think that you will get your due one day for sure)," he said.

Shah concluded the video, saying everything that has been done shall be remembered.

On July 21, a video of Shah went viral with the claim that he had taken part in the protest along with his son Vihaan Shah. However, the clip was not from Delhi. It was an old video from Mumbai that resurfaced online. Read the full story here.