Aparna Sen supports youth-led CJP protest, condemns violence against unarmed students
Veteran actor-filmmaker Aparna Sen supported the students at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and said their peaceful protest made her cry. His comments called the demonstration a constitutional lesson and condemned allegations of unarmed students being beaten.
Veteran filmmaker Aparna Sen has expressed solidarity with the students who participated in the youth-led protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, saying they have given her hope and shown her the meaning of democratic dissent.
In a video message shared on Instagram, Sen said she was deeply moved by the students and cried after seeing what she described as their peaceful and constitutional protest. He also criticized the way the students were allegedly beaten and said the country should stand with them.
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Sen said in her message, “My name is Aparna Sen. I just want to say that last night I learned from my students the meaning of democratic dissent. I learned from them how to believe in the Constitution and how to work according to it. I became like many of us, so discouraged, so dejected, so disappointed, that what is the use of protesting against anything. What is the use of asking about anything that we consider a democratic right. Are.”
He further said, “These students gave me a ray of hope. They showed me that it could be done. They believed in the democratic way, they protested peacefully, non-violently, completely in accordance with the Constitution and they believed that they would be heard.”
“It was so touching that I cried the whole night last night. I thought to myself how brave, how resilient, how courageous these children are! What lessons we can learn from them. All I could think of was blessing them with all my heart and saying ‘Well done!’ We can learn from you, thanks,” Sen concluded.
In the caption accompanying the post, Sen wrote, “20th July was an unforgettable night! Our children showed us the way when we became blasphemers. The way those unarmed children were beaten today makes me angry! How dare they! How dare they harm the future of our country?”
He said, “Some of those children will be our future leaders, doctors, scientists, teachers and artists! And instead of nurturing them, we beat them! This is unacceptable! The nation must stand in solidarity with them. It is now or never.”
Recently, actor Salman Khan also expressed his support for the students participating in the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Although the 60-year-old did not explicitly mention the name of the group in his social media post, he praised the students for peacefully demanding a better education system.
Apart from Salman, actor Prakash Raj praised activist Sonam Wangchuk after she broke her 26-day fast. Prakash Raj also questioned why the resignation of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is still being delayed.