Shabana Azmi visits Jantar Mantar, backs students ahead of CJP’s Parliament march
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New Delhi: Veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Sunday visited the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar, expressing solidarity with students and activists a day before the group’s planned march to Parliament.
Azmi met hunger-striking students, including All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora, and told the gathering she had come because their concerns “deserved to be heard.” “In a democracy, people have the right to raise their voice peacefully,” she said, urging authorities to prioritise dialogue over confrontation.
The protest drew several public figures on Sunday, including actors Prakash Raj and Mahua Moitra, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat and AAP leader Manish Sisodia. Visuals from the site showed Azmi greeting and offering support to students Aameen and Manish, who are on indefinite fast alongside Neha Bora. Neha thanked the actor on X for her visit.
Prakash Raj led chants targeting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, prompting enthusiastic responses from the crowd. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das claimed nearly 20,000 people were present at and around Jantar Mantar by evening; the figure could not be independently verified.
The demonstration, which began on June 20, demands Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the May 3 NEET-UG question paper, alongside broader education reforms and redress for affected students.
The protest intensified after activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been fasting, was moved to Safdarjung Hospital by Delhi Police on medical grounds following a High Court order. Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, said he would end his hunger strike on Monday if political leaders visited him in hospital and pledged to raise education accountability in Parliament. She also appealed for a peaceful mobilisation. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, who has begun his own fast, urged supporters to stay overnight at the site to ensure a peaceful march.
Delhi Police reiterated that no permission has been sought or granted for the proposed march and said prohibitory orders remain in force in the New Delhi district. Multi-layered security has been deployed around Parliament and Jantar Mantar ahead of Monday’s planned mobilisation.
