From Salman Khan to Arjit Singh: Indian celebrities voice support for student protests

Several Bollywood celebrities have expressed support for the Gen Z-led protests over the alleged paper leak and education reforms, boosting the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led movement beyond Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

Protesters led by the "cockroach" movement have been camping in central Delhi since last month, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over exam paper leaks in May that affected some two million students.

Protests snowballed on Monday after police fired tear gas and baton-charged tens of thousands of demonstrators as they tried to march on parliament.

Singers, actors and filmmakers, including Salman Khan, Aliaa Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Arijit Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Sara Ali Khan, Javed Akhtar, Sonam Bajwa, Naseeruddin Shah, Pooja Bhatt, Diljit Dosanjh, Shabana Azmi, Twinkle Khanna, Ananya Panday, Varun Dhawan, Imran Khan, Ayesha Khan and Prakash Raj, are among those who have expressed solidarity with or joined the youth-led movement, condemning the police crackdown, including baton charges on protesters.

In a post on X, actor Salman Khan said: “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 and see that the kids of our country have come together for a better educational system, and their parents supported them.”

Singer Arijit Singh also posted a number of comments on his X account on the protests, saying that force should not be used on students.

Taking to Instagram, Alia shared a heartfelt note in support of the students. "The last few days have broken my heart and then mended it, again and again, with hope. Behind every student standing their ground is a dream, a family's hope, a journey of countless sacrifices. They represent not just themselves but everyone who has supported them, while creating a better path for those who will come after them."

In a post on Instagram, Kareena Kapoor admitted that she has been sitting with her thoughts for a few days but realised that she couldn't stay quiet longer.

Veteran actor Twinkle Khanna said: “Proud to belong to a country where our young people still have the courage to dissent, to push back, to brave tear gas and batons. The sad part is that they have to.”

Apart from Salman, Alia and Kareena, Huma Qureshi, Ayeha Khan, Imran Khan, Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj also reached the protest site to extend their support to the students.

Police in Mumbai detained actor Ayesha Khan on Wednesday as she attempted to participate in a demonstration supporting educational reforms.

From a social media post to a movement

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which has millions of followers on social media, emerged in May initially as a satirical response to Chief Justice Surya Kant reportedly likening young people to "cockroaches" and "parasites" during a court hearing.

The movement has since broadened its agenda to include concerns over unemployment, opportunities for young people and what it describes as Modi´s increasingly authoritarian style of governance.

The protests have emerged as one of the biggest challenges to Modi since his re-election for a third term in office in 2024.

Abhijeet Dipke, is the face of what is arguably India's biggest street protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government since he took office in 2014.

One of the first people to amplify the movement was Delhi-based YouTuber Meghnad S. Soon after Dipke's post, he and a friend used AI tools to build a satirical website announcing the formation of the Cockroach Janta Party.

The Instagram account amassed 22 million followers in a matter of days before swelling further to 25 million recently.

— With additional input from agencies