Saudi scholar greets Pakistan on I-DAY

Actress and BJP Member of Parliament Kangana Ranaut has sparked widespread outrage after sharing a series of inflammatory Instagram Stories targeting the Gen Z-led Cockroach Janta Party movement, which has been demanding accountability over exam paper leaks that rocked India’s education system. Her remarks, which took direct aim at young women protesters and described them in deeply offensive terms, have drawn sharp condemnation from across the country. The political context for her comments is significant. The CJP protests, which began in New Delhi and spread to other cities, were triggered by widespread allegations of paper leaks in competitive examinations. The movement gained considerable momentum after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned, intensifying public debate around the protesters’ demands for systemic reform and accountability. Ranaut chose not to address those demands. Instead, she used her platform to launch a sweeping attack on the character of the people participating in the protests. “They don’t do this at the cost of their parents or families,” she wrote. “Here is a new generation of so-called westernised Indian women. I call them generational gutter. Some of them have nothing to offer to the system. They are not good at studies but they are so ugly and corrupt that they can’t be home makers either. But they probably flaunt their freedom to have drugs, drinks or endless body counts.” She went on to specifically criticise young Hindu women whom she accused of aspiring to a form of independence they had not earned. “Most appalled is the behaviour of young Hindu women who want to imitate the lives of independent career women, without earning that freedom,” she said. “Women who are truly independent, they make rebellious choices, bold opinions, unconventional career moves and they take accountability for their actions.” She also addressed those who had faced physical confrontations during the protests, framing the violence as a natural consequence of their own behaviour. “Protesters who are getting beaten and abused on the roads by the common people because of their filthy and abusive roles, must understand that once you post, you will be criticised and once you damage public property, the public will damage you.” She concluded with a statement she presented as philosophical but which read to many as dismissive. “Now is not a time to cry. If you receive the opposite reaction, it is due to cause and effect. You will understand soon if you have not already.” The remarks have landed with considerable force at a moment when Indian celebrities are already divided over whether and how to support the CJP movement. While figures including Diljit Dosanjh, Arijit Singh and actor Imran Khan have expressed solidarity with the protesters, Ranaut has positioned herself firmly on the opposite side, in a manner that has gone well beyond political disagreement into personal attack. The language she used about young women in particular has drawn the most intense criticism, with many pointing out the specific ugliness of describing protesting citizens in the terms she chose.

High-profile Indian public figures, including actor Imran Khan, popular singer Arijit Singh, and veteran actress Zeenat Aman, have joined a growing list of celebrities voicing firm support for student-led protests in New Delhi, urging authorities to exercise restraint and engage in constructive dialogue with demonstrators. ​The nationwide movement—triggered by mounting student grievances regarding examination irregularities and proposed education reforms—escalated dramatically following reports of harsh police action against peaceful demonstrators gathering at New Delhi’s iconic Jantar Mantar protest site. ​Taking to social media platform X to condemn the reported use of force against young marchers, playback sensation Arijit Singh expressed intense outrage over the crackdowns: ​”Now you are beating the students. Aren’t you ashamed? Everything will be remembered.” ​Actor Imran Khan similarly broke his long-standing public silence to issue an impassioned, lengthier statement on Instagram. Recounting his distress over news footage showing authorities using teargas and physical force against student marchers, the actor questioned the government’s stance on youth empowerment and accountability: ​”Something broke in me today. Watching as police gassed and battered student protestors… How could I make sense of this? These students worked hard, only to be failed by the system. These people who asked to be heard, only to be met with silence. These citizens who stood up for what matters to them… beaten down and disowned by the establishment. Are these not the children of Mother India? If not them, for whom do we build, and whose future do we claim to protect? Those who demand ‘organization’ from students protesting education reform, but don’t apply such lofty standards of accountability to established authority; bootlickers, one and all. If we don’t listen to those who have the most at stake today, we forfeit all our tomorrows. There is no choice here but one: solidarity with the students.” ​Concurrently, veteran screen icon Zeenat Aman drew public attention to the deteriorating condition of environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose ongoing hunger strike in the capital entered its third week alongside student gatherings. Aman warned against societal indifference, stressing that neglecting visionary reformers and student leaders threatens the moral fabric of the nation. ​Their statements build upon an expanding solidarity movement within the entertainment industry. Artists including Diljit Dosanjh, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Shabana Azmi, Pooja Bhatt, Huma Qureshi, and Ali Fazal have all publicly called for an immediate cessation of violence and transparent administrative reforms. As student assemblies persist across multiple locations in the capital, public calls continue to intensify for top political leadership to sit down with student representatives to peacefully address their concerns.