Even as many celebrities have been expressing their solidarity with the protesting students but shying away from explicitly holding the government accountable, actor Jyotika was more upfront and asked Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down over his failure in handling the NEET examination.
The actor, in a social media post on Saturday, July 25, said that she stands for a democratic India and a reformed education system. Lauding the efforts of Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), and Saurav Das, the party's spokesperson, she said that as a mother she wants to raise children like them.
She further thanked Gen Z for their resolve and for exhibiting fraternity. “Thank you for breaking the pressure. Thank you for making us fearless, CJP,” she wrote.
The ongoing protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, which intensified after the forcible removal of activist Sonam Wangchuck from the protest site on July 18, have entered their eighth day. The movement initially sparked by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) has grown into a nationwide movement demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, accountability from the National Testing Agency (NTA), compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide, and broader reforms to India's examination system.
Similarly, filmmaker Sekhar Kammula broke ranks with the Telugu film fraternity, which has largely remained silent over the issue. The director said that the resignation of the Union Education Minister, compensation for the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide, and a firm assurance against a repeat of the paper leak should have been done without anyone having to protest.
"Yet, to secure these simple demands, lakhs of students are being beaten with lathis, left bleeding, going without food, enduring violence, and protesting day and night. These students are asking for one thing: accountability. Their demand is just. The government must listen to them, reassure them, and honour their courage."
"If our students win, the country wins. If our students win, it means we have not failed them. In truth, when the people win, governments win too. Dear Gen Z, I bow to your struggle. I salute you," he wrote.
Other celebrities who have extended their support to the protesting students include Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Naseeruddin Shah, Kamal Haasan, Sonakshi Sinha, filmmaker Pa Ranjith, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Dia Mirza, Revathy Asha, Imran Khan, Huma Qureshi, Saqib Saleem, Prakash Raj, Shabana Azmi, Ayesha Khan, Joju George, Gouri G Kishan, Sheetal Shyam, Mahesh Narayanan, Aashiq Abu, Kishore, Tovino Thomas, among others.