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Preity Zinta has joined notable Bollywood stars in showing her support for the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led student protest.
On Tuesday, July 21, the Kal Ho Naa Ho actress turned to her Instagram account, backing student demonstrations and urging Sonam Wangchuk to end his fast.
"I hope our govt starts a meaningful dialogue with Sonam Wangchuk and the student bodies so his health does not deteriorate any further," Preity penned.
She urged Sonam to end his fast, adding, "Your health is as important as this fight. You and the students are fighting for the future of India and for our youth. My heartfelt & unwavering support to every student & to Sonam in this fight to uplift & upgrade our educational system. More power to all of you. Jai Hind."
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About student-led protests in India
Sonam Wangchuk, renowned activist and educationalist, has been on an indefinite hunger strike for over three week, demanding accountability over the alleged NEET paper leak and concerns surrounding the Indian education system.
On Saturday, Sonam was forcibly taken to a hospital from Jantar Mantar, the protest site, following which the protest ssaw thousands of students and activists marching from Jantar Mantar towards Parliament, calling for the resignation of the country's education minister.
Moreover, the police allegedly used weapons, including tear gas during the march to disperse the crowd.
Following the treatment of Wangchuk over the weekend, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke called on PM Modi to resign.
Where the name 'cockroach' came from?
The name of the Cockroach Janta Party, which is not a political party despite the name, came in response to a remark made by India's Chief Justice, Surya Kant.
During a hearing in May, he allegedly compared unemployed young people drifting towards journalism and activism to cockroaches and parasites.
He later clarified that he had been referring specifically to people with "fake and bogus degrees", not India's youth more broadly.
The name is a parody of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been in power since 2014.
Several celebrities have used their social media platforms to support the student-ed protest, including Vir Das, Sonakshi Sinha, and Diljit Dosanjh.
