Dhurandhar actor Ayesha Khan was detained by Mumbai Police on July 22 while attempting to join the nationwide student protests over the NEET paper leak scandal, spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). A week after news of her detention made headlines, the political outfit has come out in her support, praising the actor’s courage for standing in solidarity with the students’ movement.
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A month-long protest had already been underway at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, led by the CJP and social and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike demanding education reforms. The movement escalated on July 20 with a “Sansad Chalo” march in Delhi, which inspired solidarity protests across several cities the same day. Tensions flared when police resorted to lathi charges and tear gas to disperse demonstrators, triggering widespread outrage. In the aftermath of the crackdown, several prominent voices from the entertainment industry came out in support of the protesting students.
CJP publicly backs Ayesha Khan
Among the many people detained during the demonstrations was Dhurandhar actor Ayesha Khan, who was forcibly escorted into a police van and taken to Mumbai’s Worli Police Station. On July 23, the actor, who rose to fame with her appearance in the song “Shararat” from Dhurandhar, shared a video filmed inside the police station. In the clip, she alleged that Mumbai Police had detained her merely for standing on the road.
Now, a week later, with the protests beginning to subside, Ayesha shared a workout video on Instagram, where the Cockroach Janta Party’s official handle publicly praised her for supporting the students’ movement. The party’s comment read, “Thank you Ayesha for standing with students and supporting their voice. Your courage and commitment to their cause show the importance of standing up for justice and education.”
About Ayesha Khan’s detention
Ayesha Khan was detained by Mumbai Police on July 22 while attempting to join a protest held in solidarity with students demanding education reforms. The actor later shared a series of videos from inside the police van and Mumbai’s Worli Police Station, alleging that she had been taken into custody despite not having raised any slogans. The 23-year-old actor looked visibly shaken in a video she shared on her Instagram stories, which showed her getting pulled into a police van as she repeatedly asked the officers why she was being detained.
In a video shared on Instagram later, Ayesha recounted the incident, saying that she, her brother and a group of friends had gathered on the road to join a protest scheduled to take place in Dadar at 4 pm. According to the actor, they had only just arrived when a police officer informed them that they were not allowed to protest at the location. Before they could even respond or begin a conversation, the police allegedly pulled her brother and a friend into a van. As Ayesha stood on the road trying to process what was happening and decide what to do next, she too was detained.
She continued, “At least 15 police personnel – 10 men and five women – came to me and my two other friends and told us we had to get into the van. I was simply asking why, as we were just standing on the road. We hadn’t said anything, hadn’t started anything, weren’t showing any placards, and weren’t shouting any slogans. We were just waiting for my brother and friends. There was no answer as to why we were being pulled in…no accountability, nothing. No one gave any answer, and they brought us far from Dadar to Worli…What about the people who used force on the ground, who pushed me, my friends, and my brother? What was our fault? Just being there?”
Ayesha said the officers at the police station treated them politely, but questioned the conduct of the personnel deployed at the protest site. In one video, she is heard asking officers where they were taking those being detained. In another, she requests that the officers not push her as she is escorted away.