Did Naseeruddin Shah attend the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar? The viral video is NOT from Delhi | Today’s news
A video circulating on social media has been wrongly linked to Naseeruddin Shah’s alleged appearance at a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The video has been verified by Grok.
Did Naseeruddin Shah attend CJP’s protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar?
The footage, shared on Instagram by a user named Rajesh Gaur, shows Shah standing alongside his sons in a crowded urban setting. However, the place is not Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The video was shot outside the Regal cinema in Colaba, Mumbai and appears to show the actor at a screening.
The footage shows the actor and his sons standing on a busy street surrounded by buildings, vehicles, traffic signals and a crowd of people. Observers, including film journalist Aseem Chhabra, and subsequent fact-checking identified the location as the area outside the Regal Cinema in Colaba. Therefore, the video cannot be used as evidence that Shah was present at the CJP’s protest in Delhi on 20 July.
Quick answers to key questions
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The viral video of Naseeruddin Shah was shot outside the Regal Cinema in Colaba, Mumbai, not at the CJP’s protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
CJP protests at Jantar Mantar to demand reforms in NEET exam system and accountability for alleged irregularities in public exams.
Delhi Police deployed a heavy security force to prevent the protest from advancing towards Parliament and said it was handling the situation professionally without using excessive force.
Students who support the demands for NEET exam reforms and accountability may consider joining the CJP protest to voice their concerns.
The CJP alleged that the police used tear gas, batons and other forms of excessive force against the peaceful protesters during their demonstration.
Read also | Shabana Azmi, 75, felt dizzy during CJP protest, escorted to cabin: Report
Watch the original video:
The timing of the footage also contextualises a cinema screening rather than an agitation in Delhi. The films Raja Shivaji and Pati Patni Aur Woh 2, both released in May, were screened at Regal Cinema during the period in which the video was shot, further supporting the identification of the location as Mumbai.
However, it remains unclear whether Shah actually visited the Jantar Mantar protest on Monday. No verified video or photos from the protest site proved his presence there.
While the viral video is unrelated to the Delhi demonstration, the absence of verified visuals from Jantar Mantar alone does not prove that the actor was not present at the protest.
CJP’s protest focuses on NEET reforms
In a joint appeal, the signatories praised the determination of the protesters and described the campaign as a “marathon, not a sprint”. They called on those on hunger strike to end their fast and conserve strength for the longer campaign ahead, while continuing to support demands for accountability for alleged irregularities in the NEET examination system.
The call also called on the people of Delhi to participate in a march on July 20, which was scheduled to begin the monsoon session of Parliament. Shah’s arrival at Jantar Mantar on Monday therefore came after he had already publicly endorsed the wider protest.
The CJP-led agitation focused on alleged irregularities surrounding the NEET-UG 2026 examination, demands for reforms in the examination system and calls for action against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Organizers have also demanded accountability for the alleged paper leak and wider structural changes to the way public exams are conducted.
Read also | Cockroach Janta Party Shares ‘Police Brutality’ Videos From Delhi March | Watch
The protest had been building for weeks before Monday’s march. Activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the agitation on 28 June and started an indefinite hunger strike. He was later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital after concerns were raised about his deteriorating health. Reports said he continued his fast after being admitted to hospital, while discussions about the terms of the termination continued throughout the day.
The proposed Parliament march was not approved by the Delhi Police, which imposed restrictions in the New Delhi area and deployed security personnel around Jantar Mantar and other sensitive locations. However, the CJP continued to call on the supporters to gather in large numbers and continue the demonstration. Before the march, organizers said thousands of people had gathered in and around the protest site.
The situation later escalated when the protesters tried to move towards the parliament. Reports said the march witnessed clashes, police action and the use of tear gas and lathi-charge, while police and protesters gave different accounts of the events. The confrontation marked a sharp escalation from the sit-in at Jantar Mantar and brought the protest to the center of a wider political debate about the scrutiny of integrity and accountability.
The protest also received support from other public figures and political leaders. Actor Shabana Azmi was among those who joined the demonstration and shared visuals from the spot, and actor-turned-politician Prakash Raj was also in attendance. Azmi was later seen being helped away from the crowd after allegedly feeling dizzy during the protest.
