Mumbai: Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah made another scathing remark against the government. On Wednesday, the actor took to his Facebook, and shared a video of himself talking to the camera.
In the video, he flaunted his badge of “Dimagi Naxal”, a term coined by Prime Minister Modi Independence Day address in August after the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had to resign under public pressure.
He referred to the ongoing protest and drawing parallels to the earlier protests in JNU, the actor mentioned titles such as ‘anti-national’ and ‘tukde-tukde gang’.
He said in the video, “’I say with pride, I am a Dimagi Naxal. Apart from Dimagi Naxal, I don’t know what other titles the chowkidar has given to people like me, anti-national, tukde-tukde gang and what not. If there is any tukde-tukde gang in this country, then it is this illegitimate government”.
The actor’s statement comes after his earlier statement during the political row at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). The actor has accused the BJP of political retaliation against dissenters and urged citizens to support the students.
For the uninitiated, the political row at Kolkata’s Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) erupted after clashes September 27, 2026, between students and members of the RSS-linked Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat during a campus event. Subsequent protests and alleged attacks intensified tensions. Students demanded Vice-Chancellor Santosh Ajmera’s resignation, accusing the administration of failing to protect them.
The institute later suspended 6 students over alleged misconduct, a decision the students’ union challenged. Actor Naseeruddin Shah and filmmakers Payal Kapadia and Anand Patwardhan backed the protesters. The BJP criticised the veteran actor’s remarks, while the administration alleged that outside forces had politicised the agitation.
Also Read : Kangana Ranaut hits out at Naseeruddin Shah over remarks amid protest debate
Nationally, the protests from students have gained momentum as the online party, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) intensified its agitation demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The youth-led movement is opposing the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise has disenfranchised millions of voters. The Election Commission and the BJP have denied allegations of manipulation.
The CJP has also called for electoral reforms and an independent inquiry into alleged irregularities in voter-list revisions. The Apex Court during its special hearing Sunday noted that there will be no detention of the protestors, and the public transport will return to normalcy.
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