As many as 50,000 protestors took to streets in the national capital on Monday to demand the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, according to HT reporters on ground.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) called for a march from Jantar Mantar, where the protestors have been camped for a month, to the Parliament, attracting a huge response, with thousands descending on the designated protest site on Monday. It was met with several challenges. This included lathi charge and use of tear gas shells by security forces to disperse the crowd marching towards the Parliament.
Singer Arijit Singh posted a number of comments on his X account on the protests, and shared that force should not be used on students. He said, “wow!! checking videos of Human beings in uniform behaving like goons.” In another post, he wrote, “Yaar ab to students ko maar rahe hain yahaan aap log. Hello Neta, Mantri !! Hello Delhi Police aren’t you ashamed!!?? kya chal raha hai bhai!! apne aapko bhagwan samajh liya hai kya ***? Har cheez Yaad rakkha jayega! Har har Mahadev! Yaad rakhna The Only Constant Is Change!”
In response, a user said that Arijit lost respect for his stance. Arijit responded, “I am not worried about the fact that somebody respects me or not. I am also not bothered about anyone’s opinion as everyone have their own. you being a fan of me doesn’t compel me to say sugarcoated words to you. but I apologise to you as a person. My words might have hurt your emotions. I am truly sorry I never meant it that way. It’s just that I am angry. Forgive me to become free. You can delete all my playlist and forget my existence. be happy I genuinely pray for your happiness. but that doesn’t change my opinion. Take care.”
Arijit Singh announces retirement
Back in January, Arijit surprised fans by revealing that he would no longer take up new playback singing assignments. He first shared the update on Instagram, then elaborated on X, where he spoke about his growing inclination toward classical music and his desire to devote time to what he truly enjoys.
While the announcement left many fans emotional, the singer clarified that he is not disappearing entirely from the industry. “God has been really kind to me. I am a fan of good music and in future will be learning more and doing more on my own as a small little artist. Thanks again for all your support. I still have to finish some pending commitments, will finish them. So you might get some releases this year. Just to be clear that I won’t stop making music,” the singer wrote. Just weeks later, Arijit released a new independent single, Raina, which received a positive response from fans.
Over the years, he lent his voice to several iconic tracks, including Tum Hi Ho, Channa Mereya, Agar Tum Saath Ho, Raabta, Kesariya, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Tera Yaar Hoon Main, Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage and Tum Kya Mile, to name a few.
About the ongoing protest
The recent student protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) began as a youth-led movement demanding reforms in India’s education system. The protesters have been calling for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the education sector, particularly the alleged NEET paper leaks. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the protest earlier this month and began a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.