Actor-couple Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh expressed solidarity with young people participating in the Cockroach Janta Party's 'Sansad Chalo' protest in Delhi on Monday. They joined actors Bhumi Pednekar, Huma Qureshi and Nandita Das in backing the youth-led protest.

In a post on X, Riteish urged citizens to stand by the youth and described them as the "true architects of our nation’s future". His post read, "We stand in solidarity with the youth of our country. Their voices deserve to be heard — loud, clear, and without fear. They are the heartbeat of our democracy and the true architects of our nation’s future (sic)."

The post concluded, "Let us listen, support, and empower them. The energy, courage, and dreams of our young people will shape the India we aspire to build. Jai Hind. Genelia \& Riteish Deshmukh #YouthOfIndia #VoiceOfTheYouth #FutureOfOurNation (sic)."

Staged to mark the start of the Monsoon Session, the protest aimed to demand nationwide education reforms and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged NEET irregularities. Security forces and protesters clashed as the march moved toward the Parliament building.

Meanwhile, a CJP delegation met Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday to hand over a memorandum outlining three key demands: the immediate release of activist Sonam Wangchuk from the hospital, the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and 1 crore compensation for families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide following the exam paper leak.

Apart from Bhumi, Huma and Nandita, screenwriter Sutapa Sikdar also voiced her support for peaceful protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.

Sutapa's Instagram post highlighted the backgrounds of those participating in the protest. She wrote that many of them were students who had arrived "with 20 rupees in their pocket" and "full of hope" while seeking accountability.

She added many of the protesters were not "rich influential papas' babies and babas" and that "no one came to save them." She wrote that they had stood their ground, as they perhaps had all their lives, referring to the struggles involved in "waiting for buses, trains, admission, leaks".

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who also joined the protests, reportedly felt unwell on Monday. A video from the protest site showed the 75-year-old actor being assisted by volunteers and security personnel and taken to a security cabin after she appeared to feel dizzy amid the gathering.

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Published By:

Anurag Bohra

Published On:

Jul 21, 2026 07:46 IST