Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah has slammed the police action against protesters during the Chalo Sansad march, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “jahil” while expressing solidarity with students protesting over the NEET paper leak.
The star actor broke his silence on the July 20 violence through an emotional video shared on Instagram, saying he was deeply disturbed after watching footage of the clashes at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“I am heartbroken and my blood boils seeing the way our children are being treated,” the actor said, condemning the use of force against student protesters. He compared the masked personnel carrying batons to “goons” and urged them to think about their own children and the consequences of their actions.
Addressing the students directly, Shah asked them not to lose hope, saying millions of people stand with them.
“I have always had faith in the youth of our country, and today that faith has grown even stronger. Keep fighting your battle, we are with you,” he said.
It is important to mention here that the Starical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a movement led by the youth of India started its online campaign against the Modi government, particularly demanding the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the paper leak of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
NEET is a highly competitive exam in India to get admission in the medical fields, including MBBS and BDS.
The head of CJP, a student leader, Abhijeet Dipke, started an online campaign against the Modi government and the education minister of India for not providing justice to Indian youth.
CJP started protest at Jantar Mantar
In early June 2026, CJP started the protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, demanding justice for affected students of the NEET paper leak. In the CJP’s demands, the resignation of Narendra Modi and Dharmendra Pradhan were included too.
Thousands of students joined the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar across India. India’s well-known engineer, activist, education reformer, and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the CJP protest. Sonam Wangchuk decided to sit on a hunger strike with several others in solidarity with the students of India.
Sonam Wangchuk completed its 20 days hunger strike at Jantar Mantar until the Delhi police and other security forces started a crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar. After the crackdown, Delhi police forcibly arrested Sonam Wangchuk on July 19 and shifted him to the hospital.
Police brutality at CJP protesters
Earlier today, Delhi police started a violent crackdown on the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar and brutally tortured students, activists, civil society members, and academics who were participating in the protest.
However, several journalists covering the CJP protest confirmed that some students are still protesting at Jantar Mantar and demanding the resignation of Modi and Pradhan.
It is important to mention that the head of CJP, Abhijeet Dipke, is not detained or arrested.
Also read: Delhi police arrest India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi
