Diljit Dosanjh, an actor and singer, has expressed his solidarity with the students who are protesting against the NEET examination scam under the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). In a statement on his Instagram story posted on Tuesday, Dosanjh said that "the way in which the student protestors are being treated is very wrong" and urged the authorities to listen to their demands and "voice of the people is the voice of God." He was fully aware that he would get tagged as "anti-national," considering the severe consequences following his earlier backing for the farmers' protests in 2020-21.
These demonstrations were organised to coincide with the start of the Monsoon session of Parliament, with the demonstrators demanding educational reforms and the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. A clash occurred between the demonstrators and security forces while marching towards the Parliament House. Alongside the street protests, a CJP delegation met Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday to submit a memorandum outlining three core demands: the immediate release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital, the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan, and ₹1 crore in compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide following paper leak allegations.
Dosanjh joins a growing list of prominent figures from the Indian film industry who have expressed solidarity with the youth-led movement. Support was provided by actors Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh with Riteish declaring that “students’ voices deserve to be heard loudly and fearlessly.” This was backed by actors Bhumi Pednekar, Huma Qureshi, Nandita Das, along with veteran actor Shabana Azmi, and scriptwriter Sutapa Sikdar. Sikdar highlighted the vulnerability of the young demonstrators, noting that many had arrived with very little money and were simply seeking accountability, while Shabana Azmi was filmed being assisted by volunteers after feeling dizzy amidst the dense crowds at the protest site.
Addressing separate ongoing controversies, Dosanjh also commented on the sudden removal of his recent film 'Satluj' from the streaming platform ZEE5 within 48 hours of its release. In the film, he portrays human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, who investigated illegal killings and secret cremations in Punjab during the militancy era. Although unable to speak openly about the specific circumstances surrounding the film's withdrawal, Dosanjh observed that while the events depicted occurred in 1995 when people were allegedly barred from speaking out, little appears to have changed in the present day.
Also read: Punjab BJP chief appeals for restraint over Satluj controversy
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