A major youth-led protest movement in India called the Cockroach Janata party (CJP) has drawn hundreds of thousands of participants demanding accountability over exam paper leaks. The demonstrations, which began as an indefinite sit-in on 20 June in the capital, represent some of the largest protests the country has witnessed in recent years. The movement succeeded in securing the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Prasad following a paper leak in May that affected 2 million students and triggered multiple student suicides. Despite the scale and significance of the movement, India’s prominent celebrities have largely abstained from public support, drawing substantial public criticism.
Protesters expressed frustration that famous entertainment and sports figures who typically comment on global issues have remained silent on domestic grievances affecting their own supporters. Many demonstrated on Monday were met with police force including batons, teargas, and reported use of pellet guns. Participants noted the contradiction of celebrities leveraging public loyalty through entertainment while declining to offer even modest social media statements backing the student demands. Some protesters viewed the silence as particularly egregious given the physical dangers faced by demonstrators.
Observers attributed the celebrity silence partly to Bollywood’s perceived alignment with the ruling Bharatiya Janata party government and concerns about antagonizing Hindu right-wing groups powerful enough to organize boycotts. Several major stars who did eventually comment largely avoided direct criticism of the government. Actor Salman Khan urged students to return home, stating the prime minister had the situation under control. Actor Anupam Kher acknowledged student frustrations but warned of political opportunism, echoing government statements. Meanwhile, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar posted generic remarks about rewarding hard work and merit.
Notable exceptions included veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, who criticized Bollywood’s collective silence, and actor Shabana Azmi, who traveled from Mumbai to Delhi to participate in the protests. Critics suggested that the most prominent celebrities possessed sufficient fame to resist potential career repercussions for speaking publicly, yet had chosen not to do so.
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