Diljit Dosanjh, actor and singer, voiced his support for students who were injured during a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi and expressed concern over accounts of a lathi charge during the demonstration. As stated by him in an Instagram post, students should not have been treated in such a way and the authorities should listen to their demands, he said.
Diljit’s comments came as videos of the protest were circulating widely online. Students were injured in clashes and police action was alleged to have taken place in protest, the film said. As he watched the developments, Diljit said the treatment of the protesters was “very wrong” and pleaded with the government to engage the students rather than ignore their problems.
Diljit also mentioned criticism in the past against him for speaking out on public issues. He said he could be called “anti-national” again for supporting the protesters. Recalling the backlash he faced after the farmers’ protest, the actor said he had also faced legal problems that he was still unable to talk about publicly.
Diljit put forward his message in Punjabi. The voice of the people was the voice of God and he concluded by saying that God was watching everything. His post was popular online quickly, because it came just after his public criticism of the controversy surrounding his film Satluj.
Diljit was not the only prominent person to express support to the students. Shabana Azmi, Prakash Raj, Vijay Varma and Naseeruddin Shah, amongst others, also lent their support to the protest and the students’ concerns.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) held the protests and thousands of students and young people in Delhi and Mumbai were among those who participated, the newspaper reported. Protesters also expressed concern over various problems in the education system and called for reforms. Activist Sonam Wangchuk has been at the center of protests over examination issues and paper leaks.
These developments have once again brought the growing influence of celebrities in public debates into the focus of the world again. Some public figures have chosen not to speak out on politically charged topics of debate but others like Diljit have been using social media to have their voices heard on issues that are in general the focus of a lot of people.
Diljit’s new statement is also in the middle of the dispute related to his film Satluj, which was formerly named Panjab 95. The film was released on ZEE5 on July 3, 2026, after almost 3 years of wait. When it was released, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered the streaming site to remove it as it had not been cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification.
The controversy of the film intensified after Diljit spoke on Instagram Live about the film. The Ministry later formed an Interdepartmental Committee that examined the film and recommended several cuts. Sikh organisations also held public screenings of the film at gurdwaras in parts of North India.
Now Diljit speaking out over the treatment of students at the Jantar Mantar protest is back on the front line in the wider public debate, the actor has once again taken his part in the wider debate. His comments have added a new celebrity voice to the ongoing debate on student protests, free speech and the authorities’ response to public dissent.
