Dissent is not anti-national: Celebs react to protest crackdown

Celebrities have joined the public conversation around protests over alleged electoral irregularities, with Vijay Varma, Huma Qureshi, Sonakshi Sinha and Anurag Kashyap posting their reactions on social media. Their responses ranged from satire to statements on democratic rights and accountability.The protests centred on concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and allegations of voter-list manipulation. Demonstrators demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrations drew wider attention after actor Imran Khan was detained in Mumbai along with more than 400 others, with videos of the detentions circulating online.Vijay Varma responded with satire. The actor shared a mock film poster titled Saving Private Gyan, a play on Steven Spielberg's 1998 war drama Saving Private Ryan. The poster featured Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar alongside the line, “The face of free and fair election”.Varma added the caption: “Happy to the see the forces joining together to save our national hero. Protect him at ANY cost (sic)”. Huma Qureshi shared a statement defending the right to protest and question those in power. “We are the world's largest democracy. The right to peaceful protest and the demand for accountability are fundamental democratic rights, not favours granted by those in power (sic),” she wrote.She added, “Peaceful dissent is not a crime. Asking questions is not a crime. Demanding accountability is not a crime (sic).” Qureshi also said that her stand was not in support of any political party or individual. Instead, she said she stood with citizens seeking accountability and those exercising their right to dissent. “My love for this country is precisely why I cannot remain silent (sic),” she wrote. She also said that speaking up could invite abuse, personal attacks and professional consequences, but added that she had nothing to hide or apologise for.Sonakshi Sinha shared an image of the Preamble to the Constitution, with the words “Democratic Republic” highlighted. In the caption, she wrote, “Never forget! JAI HIND (sic)”.Anurag Kashyap shared the cover of Vardi Wala Gunda, the Hindi pulp-fiction thriller by Ved Prakash Sharma. He wrote, “It is no longer singular, it has become plural. Thugs, male thugs, female thugs... all are in uniform or hiding behind it (sic).”Imran Khan recounts detentionActor Imran Khan was among more than 400 people detained during a protest in Mumbai. Videos from the demonstration showed him interacting with police personnel while officers appeared to form a human chain to prevent him from leaving.In one clip, Khan was seen waving at the police and shouting, “Jai Hind!” His girlfriend, Lekha Washington, and cousin Zayn Marie Khan were also present. Videos showed them recording the interaction and asking officers to produce a warrant or relevant documents.Khan was later released along with Washington and Zayn. In a video shared after his release, the actor said, “I honestly do not know why I have been brought here. They picked us all off the streets. They told us to sit in the van.”He then added a note of humour, saying, “I thought it must be a very nice car from the inside, that's why they are excited.”Khan said he and the others had been driven around for about two hours before being dropped at an undisclosed location. In a separate clip, Washington said they were not allowed to take a cab back after their release. The protests, centred on concerns over the SIR exercise and alleged voter-list manipulation, have since continued to draw reactions from public figures speaking about accountability and peaceful dissent.- Ends