Following the ‘Sansad Chalo’ protest by the cockroach Janata Party (CJP) in Delhi on Monday, actresses Bhumi Pednekar, Huma Qureshi and Nandita Das along with screenwriter Sutapa Sikdar have come out in support of the peaceful protesters. His reactions came amid scenes of police action against protesters, with the film fraternity raising concerns about education, access and systemic issues affecting students and calling for dialogue and accountability.

In a detailed post shared on Instagram, Bhumi Pednekar said violence cannot be the answer and urged that the focus be on students affected by the gaps in the education system.

“Violence is not the answer,” he wrote, referring to the scenes of that day. Bhumi said the country has the responsibility of its youth to ensure that the movement does not turn violent or deviate from its objective, adding that democracy is based on dialogue.

Bhumi also called for reforms in the education system, listing paper leaks, exam failure, unequal access, teacher shortage and pressure faced by students as issues that need to be addressed.

He acknowledged progress made in the education sector in recent years, including an increase in the number of universities and seats, but said students whose futures were at risk deserved answers. “While I may not agree with everything said at the protests, I firmly believe that meaningful conversations are where reform begins,” she wrote. “It should always be about our students.”

Check out his post here:

Actress Huma Qureshi said that scenes from the protests would stay with her for a “very long time”. He said he was “deeply saddened” to see peaceful protesters met with “such brutal force and batons”.

Huma said the situation could have been handled with more patience, listening and dialogue. “The people have elected the government and today, we all need to ask questions and expect accountability,” he wrote.

He said India is a large and diverse country and although citizens may not agree on every issue, “each citizen should be heard with respect before reacting with force”.

See Huma’s post here:

Sutapa Sikdar’s post focused on the background of the people participating in the protests. He wrote that many of them were students who came with “20 rupees in their pockets” and “full of hope”, demanding accountability.

He said that many of the protesters were not “rich influential papa’s and babas'” and “no one came to save them”. Referring to the struggles involved in “waiting for buses, trains, entering, leaking”, he wrote that he remained stubborn, as he probably had all his life.

He also pointed out that “not a single child of any minister was there”. Describing the incidents as heart-wrenching, he wrote, “everything will be remembered” and described what happened as “inexcusable”.

Read Sutapa’s post here:

Nandita Das said she stands in solidarity with those who believe that democracy is stronger when people can gather, speak, listen and be heard. He wrote, “Constructive disagreement is what keeps democracy alive.” He also said that he “stands with all those marching peacefully in Delhi for the India we believe in.”

The protest, organized on the opening day of the monsoon session of Parliament, was held to demand education reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET exam. As the march moved towards Parliament, clashes broke out between protesters and security forces.

Meanwhile, a delegation of CJP met Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday and submitted a memorandum listing three key demands – release of activist Sonam Wangchuk from the hospital, removal of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of NEET aspirants who allegedly died by suicide after the NEET paper leak.