Shabana Azmi joins CJP protest march, dismisses Bollywood’s absence: ‘Wrote to PM, got no reply’ | Bollywood News

5 min readNew DelhiJul 20, 2026 01:01 PM Veteran actor Shabana Azmi joined Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on Monday, July 20, a day after she arrived at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to join the protest over the NEET paper leaks and demand the resignation of Union Education Miner Dharmendra Pradhan. The march is being led CJP’s Abhijeet Dipke and activ Sonam Wagchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo as Wangchuk continues his indefinite hunger strike at the Safdarjung hospital after being forcibly removed from the protest site the Delhi Police on Saturday.
Several film personalities have since voiced their support for the movement and appealed for the protest to remain peaceful.
Shabana Azmi marches towards the Parliament
Shabana Azmi, 75, was seen walking alongside students and protesters as they marched towards Parliament. Speaking to PTI, she said, “We are here to hold a peaceful protest. This is a right guaranteed our Constitution. Mahatma Gandhi taught us the path of non-violence. We have no intention of resorting to violence.”

VIDEO | Delhi: Ahead of the Cockroach Janata Party’s proposed protest march, veteran actress Shabana Azmi joined the protesters and says, “All of us who are here, have come for a peaceful protest, to exercise the right granted to us our country’s constitution. Mahatma Gandhi… pic.twitter.com/q1mx2cL7gN
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 20, 2026
She also urged the media not to shift the focus from the movement focussing on Bollywood celebrities instead of the protesters’ demands. “You are only worried about the fact that Bollywood celebrities are not present at the March. You don’t worry about the absence of industrial, all the businessmen. When you ask these question, you sidelining the cause and creating unnecessary controversy. You should support those who are marching for this cause, rather than diluting the matter,” she told media.
She also told Red Mike that she, and husband and lyric Javed Akhtar has written to Prime Miner Narendra Modi to resolve the issue with a dialogue. “Maine jo hai, Pradhan Mantri ko khat likha. Javed saab ne khat likha ki dekhiye aap sirf ek dialogue initiate kariye, press ke paas hum nahi ja rahe. Hum isko ek public matter nahi banayenge, hum sirf Rajya Sabha ke ex-sansad hain, toh hum uss lihaaz se keh rahe hain, baat toh suniye. Pehle toh hume acknowledgement aaya ki 2 din main aapko jawab milega, 2 din main nahi aaya, 3 din main nahi aaya, 4 din main nahi aaya toh phir paanchwe din hum yahan aa gaye (I wrote a letter to the Prime Miner. Javed saab also wrote a letter saying, ‘Please just initiate a dialogue. We are not going to the press. We won’t turn this into a public issue. As a former member of the Rajya Sabha, I’m making this request in that capacity. At least hear us out.’ At first, we received an acknowledgment saying that we would get a response within two days. But there was no reply in two days, nor in three, nor in four. So, on the fifth day, we came here ourselves).”
‘Desh ke bachcho par haath mat uthana’: Kavita Kaushik
Meanwhile, FIR actor Kavita Kaushik, popularly known for playing Chandramukhi Chautala and Chak De! India actor Vidya Malavade have requested the authorities to let the students protest in peace. Taking to Instagram, Kavita shared a video with a message for Delhi Police. She said, “Delhi Police, I want to make a request to you. You all have families too—parents, children, siblings and relatives. God forbid, if they ever face a medical emergency, you would want them to be treated a genuine, competent doctor and not a fake one. That is exactly why these students are protesting. So, whatever happens, please do not raise your hand against the children or the citizens of my country. Do not hurt them. That is all I have to say. Do not display your might before them.”

‘These students deserve dialogue and justice’
Chak De! India actor Vidya Malavade also expressed her support through an Instagram post. “It is heart-breaking to see what is happening in our country right now. The way Sonam Wangchuk ji has been treated is not just frustrating but also very scary. But the dignity and grace that Gitanjali ma’am is showing is the very foundation on which this great country is built,” she wrote.
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She further added, “Isn’t it every citizen’s birthright to protest peacefully against being wronged? It is unfathomable to understand how these young students have been driven to take their own lives. These students deserve dialogue and justice, and I stand them. Chak De India!”
Sonam Wangchuk began his hunger strike on June 28 as part of a protest organised the Cockroach Janta Party, demanding accountability from Union Education Miner Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak. Wangchuk has sought Pradhan’s resignation and has called for greater transparency in the examination system and broader educational reforms, saying the issue deserves an open dialogue with the government.