Hollywood actor John Cusack voiced his backing for student protests protesting the NEET-UG paper leak, sharing an essay by author Arundhati Roy on social media.
The solidarity expression follows escalating demonstrations in New Delhi organized by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). According to Delhi Police reports, thousands of protesters gathered for a ‘Chalo Sansad’ march toward Parliament, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over examination system irregularities. Clashes broke out on Sansad Marg as demonstrators spilled onto main roads, resulting in tear gas deployment and stone-pelting. Delhi Police stated that five law enforcement personnel sustained injuries during the confrontations, while demonstrators alleged that officers and unidentified individuals in civilian clothes subjected them to an indiscriminate lathi-charge.
John Cusack and International Support for Indian Student Movements
On Thursday, John Cusack shared Arundhati Roy’s essay titled Cockroach Democracy: Unarmed and Dangerous on X, according to public social media posts. The essay criticizes the deployment of police force against students during their march toward Parliament. Sharing the text, Cusack wrote, “Beautiful news from my favourite fellow cockroach (sic),” according to his verified account. This marks another instance of the American actor supporting student demonstrations in India; in 2019, Cusack backed protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and criticized police actions at Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Political Figures and Activists Join the NEET-UG Agitation
The student-led movement drew participation from domestic political figures and activists. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the agitation earlier in the month, launching a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in support of the candidates. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi also participated in the demonstrations, staging a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence alongside Congress leaders before police detained them.
Film Fraternity Reactions to the Paper Leak Crisis
Indian film personalities added their voices to the movement following the police intervention. Actor Salman Khan addressed the situation in an Instagram post on Wednesday night, describing the paper leak as a serious issue. According to his post, Khan stated, “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 (sic),” while emphasizing that the protest should not be hijacked politically.
Additional actors and filmmakers, including Hrithik Roshan, Alia Bhatt, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Shabana Azmi, Prakash Raj, Dulquer Salmaan, Sonakshi Sinha, Imran Khan, Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker, Huma Qureshi, Revathy, Tovino Thomas, Abhay Deol, and Anurag Kashyap, voiced support for the protesting students demanding educational reform.
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