Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Javed Akhtar Praises Shabana Azmi’s CJP Protest Amid Health Scare
Shabana Azmi joined students protesting in New Delhi.
They were upset about an alleged leak of NEET exam papers.
Before going, she told her husband, Javed Akhtar, about her plan.
He said he understood that she felt she had to go.
He called her decision a matter of conscience and said he was proud of her.
Police used tear gas during the protest on July 20.
Azmi had an asthma attack and later became ill with H1N1.
She could not attend a later protest in Mumbai.
Akhtar said she has spoken up for causes for many years.
Shabana Azmi joined CJP student protests at Jantar Mantar over an alleged NEET paper leak.
Javed Akhtar said he was proud of Azmi and never tried to dissuade her from attending.
Akhtar described her decision as a call of conscience and said nobody could stop her once determined.
Azmi suffered an asthma attack after police used tear gas and was later diagnosed with H1N1.
Akhtar recalled Azmi’s earlier activism, including arrests, hunger strikes and a 1993 Mumbai protest.
- Who
- Actor Shabana Azmi joined the protest; lyricist Javed Akhtar discussed and praised her decision.
- What
- Azmi participated in CJP student demonstrations over an alleged leak of National Eligibility Entrance Test papers.
- When
- The Delhi protest took place on July 20; Akhtar discussed it on a recent podcast.
- Where
- The protest was held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, with another student protest later held in Mumbai.
- Why
- Azmi said she felt compelled to support the students after a request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi received no response for three days.
- Protest group
- Cockroach Janata Party, abbreviated as CJP
- Protest location
- Jantar Mantar, New Delhi
- Issue
- An alleged leak of National Eligibility Entrance Test papers
- Police action
- Delhi Police used tear gas during the July 20 demonstration
- Azmi’s health
- She suffered an asthma attack and was later diagnosed with H1N1
- Akhtar’s reaction
- He said he was proud of Azmi and viewed her participation as a call of conscience
- Earlier activism
- Azmi was arrested with 16 others during a 1993 Mumbai protest against slum-home demolitions
Sources
‘Nobody can stop her’: Javed Akhtar reveals what he told Shabana Azmi before her CJP protest, says ‘I’m proud of her’
Javed Akhtar ‘proud’ of Shabana Azmi for backing CJP protests: ‘Old Shabana has woken up’
