CHANDIGARH: Punjabi Singer-actor Diljit Dosanjh has extended his support to the students protesting against alleged NEET irregularities and urged the government to engage in talks with them instead of dismissing their concerns.
He has joined the list of several celebrities which have supported the students, including Hrithik Roshan, Dia Mirza, Naseeruddin Shah, Sonakshi Sinha and Shabana Azmi besides others.
The Satluj actor said students have been 'treated wrongly' and appealed for a constructive dialogue to resolve the ongoing crisis.
He shared a note on his Instagram story today and said students should not have been treated harshly.
"What happened today was really sad. Students should not have been treated this way. I request the authorities to listen to the demands of the students. The voice of the masses is the voice of god,’’ he wrote.
Dosanjh noted how he has often been referred to as "anti-nationalist" as he said he faced several backlashes and legal issues after voicing his support during the farmers’ protest in 2020.
"I have been tagged as an anti-nationalist on many occasions. Even now, I will be called an anti-nationalist. After the farmers’ protest, I faced a lot of backlash and legal problems which I can’t even discuss. Rest, god is watching everything. May god bless,’’ he said.
The actor emphasised that students invest years of hard work preparing for competitive examinations and deserve to have their grievances heard.
Dosanjh was earlier asked about his comments on the protests, but the actor had distanced himself, stating he was “an artiste, not a politician”.
The protest “Chalo Sansad” was organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday in New Delhi in which thousands of protestors marched towards the parliament building demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and protesting against severe exam paper leaks and education corruption.
In response to the situation, the authorities used force to disrupt the demonstrations, detaining protesters and deploying police. Diljit's remarks come amid widespread protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination process.