Huma Qureshi, Imran Khan join CJP protest; Mika Singh calls police action ‘unacceptable’

In solidarity with the students protesting at Jantar Mantar, and following the police action during Monday's Chalo Sansad March, a massive protest was held at Shivaji Park in Mumbai's Dadar on Wednesday afternoon. Several celebrities joined students as they marched together, demanding reforms in the education system. Among those who took part was actor Imran Khan. 'This is fight for the future of our nation' Videos from the protest have since flooded Instagram, showing Imran walking alongside students, smiling as people recognised him, stopping for selfies, and greeting supporters. Speaking to The IV Pillar News at the protest, the actor said: "I'm here to show support with all of the students, who work hard and whose hard work was invalidated and discarded. I'm here because this is the fight for the future of our nation. All the students of Mother India are here today, and I'm here to show my support to them." Imran's participation in the protest came a day after he condemned the police action in a strongly worded Instagram post. Expressing his anguish over the events, he wrote: “Something broke in me today. Watching as police gassed and battered student protestors… how could I make sense of this? These students who worked hard, only to be failed by the system. These people who asked to be heard, only to be met with silence. These citizens who stood up to show what matters to them… beaten down and disowned by the establishment." Huma Qureshi joins protest at Jantar Mantar Huma Qureshi and her brother, actor Saqib Saleem, also joined the student protest at Jantar Mantar in the early hours of Thursday, extending their support to the ongoing movement. The actor siblings were seen marching alongside students in a show of solidarity. A video shared by vlogger Syed Umair Ali captured the trio walking with the protesters at Jantar Mantar. A timestamp on the clip indicated that it was filmed at 2:13 am. View this post on Instagram Stand-up comedians detained at the protest Stand-up comedian Abish Mathew also joined the protest in Mumbai and was among those detained by the police along with several students. Later, taking to Instagram, he said he had returned home safely, thanked those who reached out to him, and expressed his solidarity with the movement. He wrote: "Friends, family & well wishers, Thank you so much for reaching out and offering help. I am safe and I'm back home! To the best of my knowledge, I & my batch of detainees were treated with respect. I appreciate the cops at the station, who did not make it a scary environment, fed us & kept us relaxed. But just wanted to say how proud I am of everyone who turned up, especially my comedian friends. I know I'll have more to say & share tomorrow but for now I'll end with this: If fear was the weapon they've used to scare us, then I'm afraid they've only fooled us." View this post on Instagram Fellow stand-up comedian Raunaq Rajani was also detained at the protest site. After being released, he shared a video assuring everyone that he was safe. He said: "Hello, lots of people texting me and asking if everything is ok? I'm out of detainment, all good, thank you very much. Inquilab Zindabad." View this post on Instagram Also Read | Lathis in Delhi, heroes on screen: As Singham turns 15, Bollywood’s supercop myth shattered 'Police action left me shocked' Singer Mika Singh also voiced his support for the students. Speaking to Times Now, he said: "I have been following the protests for several days and believe every Indian citizen has the democratic right to express their views and question those in authority. People ask questions from us too. The protests had remained peaceful for days, but the recent police action left me shocked as innocent students trying to secure their future were subjected to violence." He further added: "I saw young boys and even girls getting hit. I understand the authorities may suspect outsiders among the protesters, but that cannot justify violence against students, especially young women. How can society advocate women's safety while simultaneously using force against female protesters? This is wrong." Mika also said: "The validity of the students' demands can be debated later, but physically dragging and beating women and then smiling is unacceptable. Society reserves such harsh treatment for criminals like rapists and gangsters. So, it's difficult to understand why students were being handled similarly." What happened at Jantar Mantar? The protests at Jantar Mantar, spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), have intensified over the past few weeks after educator and environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk began an indefinite hunger strike, which has now entered its 25th day. On Monday, students from different parts of the country gathered in New Delhi and marched towards Parliament as the Monsoon Session commenced. The march was stopped by the Delhi Police, leading to clashes that sparked widespread criticism and debate on social media. The protesters have been demanding a dialogue with the Central government and are seeking, among other demands, the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and other alleged irregularities in the examination process.