Police in Mumbai detained actress Ayesha Khan on Wednesday as she attempted to participate in a demonstration supporting educational reforms and protesting alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test.
The «Dhurandhar» star took to Instagram to document her ordeal through a series of videos recorded inside a police van and later from Worli Police Station. In the footage, a visibly shaken Khan claimed she was taken into custody despite not actively participating in the protest or raising any slogans.
According to her account, Khan arrived in the Dadar area at around 4 p.m. to show solidarity with the students. She stated that police officers approached her group to inform them that demonstrating at that specific location was prohibited. When she enquired about an alternative venue, officers allegedly began pulling her brother and male friends into a waiting police vehicle.
Allegations of police force
Khan said she was merely standing on the roadside with two female friends when roughly 15 police personnel surrounded them. She claimed it took several female officers to physically force her into the van against her will.
«I have been detained in a police van for just standing on the road peacefully,» Khan said in one of her videos. «I didn’t say a word. I didn’t even start the protest.»
The actress repeatedly asked the officers about their destination and the legal justification for her detention but received no answers at the scene. She expressed deep frustration over the lack of transparency and questioned how standing on a public street constituted an offence. Her social media updates showed her resisting as personnel pushed her into the vehicle.
Broader student movement
Whilst she criticised the aggressive conduct of the personnel at the protest site, Khan noted that the officers at Worli Police Station treated her respectfully upon arrival. Authorities released her approximately three hours after the initial detention. Following her release, she immediately travelled to Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Police Station to secure her brother’s freedom, claiming her group had been intentionally scattered across different parts of the city.
The demonstration in Mumbai forms part of a larger wave of student-led protests that originated in New Delhi under the Cockroach Janta Party. The movement has rapidly spread to multiple cities across the country as young people demand accountability for examination leaks and justice for aspirants who have taken their own lives. Several prominent entertainment figures have publicly voiced their support for the movement and defended the students’ democratic right to protest.
