Today, Wednesday, marks 25 days since the protest at Jantar Mantar began, and 18 days since Sonam Wangchuk stopped eating.
As his health visibly worsens, more and more film industry voices are stepping up to support him.
Just a day after actors like Zeenat Aman, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Swara Bhasker, and Omi Vaidya spoke out, Anurag Kashyap has joined the chorus.
As Sonam Wangchuk continues his hunger strike, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has made it clear where he stands.
Raising his voice on social media, Kashyap asked a simple but heavy question: why is the government staying silent instead of just sitting down and listening to Wangchuk’s demands.
Behind the protest
It all started on June 20, with Wangchuk stepping in to support the cause a week later on June 28. At its heart, the movement is a fight for accountability over the devastating NEET-UG paper leak scandal.
They are calling for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down and urging the government to provide ₹1 crore to support the grieving families of students who died by suicide amid the exam scandal.
Their next major step is a peaceful march to Parliament, scheduled for July 20, just as the Monsoon Session kicks off.
Kashyap didn’t hold back there, either.
He took to his Instagram Stories to drop a fiercely honest note aimed straight at those in power, writing in Hindi: “Behre bhi itne behre nahin hotey, aur andhe bhi itne andhe nahin hotey.
Jaanwar aur rakshason ke dil bhi itne patthar nahin hotey.
Ye unse bhi badtar aadamkhor hain.
Chup rehne mein sharam aaney lagi hai.” Translated, his message lays bare his frustration: even the blind and deaf aren’t this oblivious, and even monsters don’t have hearts this cold.
Calling the authorities worse than predators who feed on humans, he admitted that keeping quiet at a time like this has simply become too shameful.
Kashyap pointed out that when people protest peacefully, they deserve to be heard, not ignored. The post took off instantly on social media. Many users cheered the filmmaker for stepping up, though it definitely divided opinions online.
