While the 'Chalo Sansad' march is underway in New Delhi, videos of actors like Shabana Azmi and Prakash Raj have been springing up on social media. Shabana and Prakash reached the Jantar Mantar protest site on Sunday to show solidarity with the protesters.
A video of Shabana interacting with demonstrators has gone viral. In the clip, the actor is seen sitting beside a protester who has been on an indefinite hunger strike. She is seen kissing her hands gently and caressing her face.
In other videos, Shabana can also be seen addressing the protesters from the stage and speaking to the media. In a latest video Shabana is also seen reaching Jantar Mantar to participate in the Chalo Sansad march.
Prakash, who had visited the protest earlier as well, returned on Sunday to stand with the demonstrators. Addressing the gathering, he said, “I am with you tonight. I am right here. We will see what happens.” Later, he shared a selfie video from the venue on social media with the caption, “Youth of our country are #JustAsking.” Though the actor did not make a detailed statement in the video, he showed protesters raising slogans in the background and remarked, “That’s youngsters fighting for the cause,” before ending the clip with a smile.
Other celebrities too have been raising their voice via social media. Sonakshi Sinha who had previously made a video in support of Wangchuk made another video urging protesters to remain peaceful while marching towards Parliament on July 20.
“Please keep your voice fearless, but also maintain the decorum that has been followed throughout this protest. Peace. Unity. Respect. Every citizen has the right to question, and when people do so without violence, they deserve to be heard. I stand with the youth, the Constitution, the students and the nation. Let’s all hope for the best. I am with you,” she said in a video.
Educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been sitting on a hunger strike for 21 days demanding accountability from the Central government over NEET paper leaks, was forcibly removed from Jantar Mantar and taken to Safdarjung Hospital on Saturday. The move further emboldened the movement as thousands are marching towards Parliament on Monday.