Manoj Bajpayee, Akhtar among celebs to back student protests against CAA

Sonakshi Sinha, Ishan Khatter, Manoj Bajpayee, Saurabh Shukla have been among the many celebrities who have extended support to students

After Alia Bhatt, Anurag Kashyap, Hollywood actor John Cusack, and many others, Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar became the latest celebrity to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act on Wednesday. The actor took to Twitter to announce that he will be partaking in a protest to be held on Thursday at August Kranti Maidan here. "See you on the 19th at August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai. The time to protest on social media alone is over," Farhan said.

Farhan's response came three days after Delhi Police action against the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday. The police entered the campus after a protest against the Act by the students turned violent.

Many from the film fraternity including his father veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar, actors Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Parineeti Chopra, Sidharth Malhotra, filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Anurag Kashyap, and Hollywood actor John Cusack expressed solidarity with the youth over the police crackdown inside the campus.

Alia Bhatt posted a picture of the Preamble to the Constitution of India, as a mark of solidarity towards nationwide students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Alia posted a photo of the Preamble on Instagram with a caption that went: "Learn from the students.

Ayushmann Khurrana posted a message on Twitter, preaching non-violence. His message reads: "Deeply disturbed about what the students went through and I strongly condemn this. All of us have the right to protest and excercise our fundamental freedom of expression. However, protests also cannot turn violent and lead to destruction of public property. That simply is counterproductive. Dear countrymen, this is the land of Gandhi. Ahimsa is and should be the tool to express. Have faith in democracy."

Others were more direct in their assertion. Parineeti Chopra tweeted: "If this is what's gonna happen everytime a citizen expresses their view, forget #CAB, we should pass a bill and not call our country a democracy anymore! Beating up innocent human beings for speaking their mind? BARBARIC."

Vicky Kaushal tweeted: "What is happening is not okay. The way it's happening is not okay. People have every right to peacefully voice their opinion. This violence and disruption is both saddening and concerning as a fellow citizen. In no circumstance, must our faith in democracy be shaken."