Television actor Sehban Azim, known for shows like Dill Mill Gayye, Thapki Pyar Ki, Bepannaah and Tujhse Hai Raabta, among others, participated in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s student protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Monday. The actor claimed he sustained injuries during police lathi-charge while trying to shield his two female friends from Mumbai from the police action.
Sehban Azim Claims Injury During Delhi Student Protest
Speaking to Mid-Day, the actor said, "It was an extremely heartbreaking sight to witness. I went for the protest to support the students, and my two female friends from Mumbai had also come. I got hit while I was saving them from the lathi there. My hand has been swollen. They hit me a few times on my arm, legs and all."
'They Weren't Bothered Who They Were Hitting'
The actor further alleged that protesters were stopped before they could reach the designated protest site at Jantar Mantar. According to Sehban, the police had barricaded the area from all sides, trapping him and other demonstrators before resorting to a lathi-charge. He claimed that they were not allowed to enter the protest venue and alleged that the police "weren't even bothered who they were hitting, be it young kids, women, nobody."
Sehban also expressed concern for the students who participated in the protest. Recalling his interactions with several of them, he said they had endured significant hardships just to make their voices heard. "My heart goes out to the kids who had come for the protest," he said, adding that many had travelled for days by train and bus.
According to the actor, some could not even afford proper shoes and wore only slippers, while others had to convince or even fight with their parents to attend the protest and voice their opinions.
Sehban Alleges Students Were 'Brutally Beaten' At Protest
"They have been brutally beaten by these policemen. A lot of them were bleeding. These young kids stood there and took all these brutal beatings," he added.
The protest has been organised to demand accountability and urgent reforms in India's education system following the irregularities in the NEET examination, along with calls for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
