Mahhi Vij condemns alleged violence against young protesters during CJP protest march, says ‘This is not democracy’
Mumbai, July 21 (IANS) Television actress Mahhi Vij has expressed her concern over the alleged use of violence against young protesters during the CJP protest march.
The ‘Laagi Tujhse Lagan’ actress shared an emotional message on Instagram, condemning violence and emphasizing that differences of opinion should never lead to harming young people. She stressed the importance of dialogue, empathy, and respecting the right to express one’s views in a democracy.
Mahhi highlighted that while questions about protests, disagreements, and methods of expression can be discussed, harming young people cannot be justified. She questioned whether using force against students and protesters was the right approach and stressed the importance of maintaining humanity during such situations.
In her post, the ‘Seher – Hone Ko Hai’ actress wrote, “My heart aches and I feel completely broken seeing young kids being beaten so brutally. This is not what anyone was asking for. This is not about who is protesting, who is angry, who is doing what, or who is on which side. But when you see children being beaten, injured and subjected to a brutal lathi charge, you cannot stay silent.”
“Who is doing the protest? Who is creating the chaos? Who is getting ugly? These questions can be asked and answered. But tell me — is beating up kids, breaking their heads and using violence against them the answer? Is this what democracy has come to? Democracy is about the right to speak. The right to question. The right to protest. The right to be heard. And if there is a problem, there are laws and systems to deal with it. But violence against children and young people can never be the solution.”
Mahhi Vij added, “These are somebody’s children. Somebody’s sons and daughters. Somebody’s families who are sitting at home, terrified and praying for their safety. We may disagree with a protest. We may disagree with the people protesting. We may disagree with their methods. But we should never lose our humanity.”
“No child deserves to be beaten. No parent should have to watch their child being hurt. And no country should ever make violence against its own young people look normal. This is not what we were asking for. We were asking to be heard,” she concluded.
The Cockroach Janta Party’s ‘Chalo Sansad’ march towards Parliament witnessed clashes after police reportedly prevented protesters from moving ahead. Security personnel allegedly used tear gas and batons to disperse the crowd, and several students were taken into custody. The demonstration was held over alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance examination, with protesters also demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The march took place amid activist Sonam Wangchuk’s ongoing indefinite hunger strike, during which he was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital by the Delhi Police.
–IANS
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