Actor Naseeruddin Shah condemned the Delhi Police for their treatment of student protesters at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi [1].
Shah's comments highlight growing tensions between state security forces and youth activists in India. By linking local police behavior to international enforcement agencies, the actor suggests a systemic shift toward state-sanctioned intimidation.
Shah described the actions of the police as "zulm," a term meaning oppression [1]. He said the response to the students was harsh and reminiscent of the tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) [1, 2].
The actor spoke out against the police response during a protest at the Jantar Mantar site [1]. He said the behavior of the officers mirrored the treatment of migrants by ICE agents in the U.S. [2].
Shah's public criticism focuses on the scale of the police presence and the nature of the force used against the students [1]. He said the situation indicates a pattern of state-sanctioned intimidation intended to silence dissent [1, 2].
This comparison to U.S. agencies marks a rare instance of a prominent Indian public figure using a Western law enforcement analogy to critique domestic policing. The actor expressed emotional distress over the events, saying that the actions taken against the students would be remembered [2].
“Naseeruddin Shah described the actions of the police as "zulm," a term meaning oppression.”
The comparison between the Delhi Police and U.S. ICE agents suggests a perception that domestic policing in India is adopting an aggressive, paramilitary approach toward civilians. By framing the student protests through the lens of migrant enforcement, Shah is arguing that the state is treating its own citizens as hostile outsiders to justify the use of force.
