Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Kamal Haasan… Mainstream stars from India’s showbiz industry, which is often accused of staying silent on important issues, have joined the chorus of support for students who faced police action during protests demanding reform in education system.
Salman became the first of the Khan troika, also including Shah Rukh and Aamir, to speak out in favour of students in a carefully worded statement where he hailed the demand of the youth for better education while cautioning against the “andolan” being hijacked politically.
“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,” the actor wrote on X on Wednesday night.
Spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), protests demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over irregularities in the exam system, including NEET paper leaks, spiralled into violence on Monday in Delhi and in other cities too with police using batons and teargas shells.
“This issue is between the students and the educational system, it should not be hijacked politically…,” Salman wrote.
Kareena said, “I’ve sat with this for a few days, but I can’t sit with it any longer. The voices of so many young people asking to be heard are impossible to ignore… and they shouldn’t be.”
“…When an entire generation speaks with one voice about its own future, listening isn’t a courtesy we extend. It’s an obligation we owe them. Our children are watching us as closely as we watch them. How we respond now… not eventually, now… will tell them everything about whether fairness and trust are real, or just words adults use,” she wrote in an emotional social media statement.
Alia said the courage shown by students has humbled her.
“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,” she wrote on Instagram.
“For the students. By the students. The future is theirs,” Alia added.
Tamil superstar and politician Kamal Haasan strongly criticised the police brutality shown towards students.
“We should have listened to when one child cried. Instead, we waited until far too many of our children died. A system where coaching replaces learning, anxiety replaces curiosity, and criminality replaces merit is rotten.
“A nation has failed when its children are met with barricades and batons instead of answers,” Haasan wrote on X, while also urging activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike.
Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since June 28 after he joined the CJP’s agitation. He was earlier forcibly shifted to Safdarjung Hospital by police, and was later moved to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram following a Delhi High Court order.