Singer Arijit Singh has spoken out against the police action during the student protest in Delhi, saying force should not be used against students and expressing anger over videos of the clashes.
His remarks came after thousands of protesters marched in the national capital on Monday, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to Hindustan Times reporters at the scene, around 50,000 protesters took to the streets during the march.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had called for a march from Jantar Mantar, where protesters have been camping for a month, to Parliament. The march drew thousands of participants.
The protest was met with police action, including a lathicharge and the use of tear gas shells as security personnel attempted to disperse demonstrators marching towards Parliament.
Responding to videos from the protest, Arijit Singh posted a series of messages on X criticising the police action.
"wow!! checking videos of Human beings in uniform behaving like goons."
In another post, he wrote, "Yaar ab to students ko maar rahe hain yahaan aap log. Hello Neta, Mantri !! Hello Delhi Police aren't you ashamed!!?? kya chal raha hai bhai!! apne aapko bhagwan samajh liya hai kya ***? Har cheez Yaad rakkha jayega! Har har Mahadev! Yaad rakhna The Only Constant Is Change!"
After one user said they had lost respect for him because of his comments, Arijit Singh replied, "I am not worried about the fact that somebody respects me or not. I am also not bothered about anyone's opinion as everyone have their own. you being a fan of me doesn't compel me to say sugarcoated words to you. but I apologise to you as a person. My words might have hurt your emotions. I am truly sorry I never meant it that way. It's just that I am angry. Forgive me to become free. You can delete all my playlist and forget my existence. be happy I genuinely pray for your happiness. but that doesn't change my opinion. Take care."
In January, Arijit Singh announced that he would no longer take up new playback singing assignments.
He first shared the decision on Instagram before elaborating on X, saying he wanted to focus more on classical music and spend time pursuing the kind of music he truly enjoys.
Clarifying that he was not stepping away from music entirely, he wrote, "God has been really kind to me. I am a fan of good music and in future will be learning more and doing more on my own as a small little artist. Thanks again for all your support. I still have to finish some pending commitments, will finish them. So you might get some releases this year. Just to be clear that I won't stop making music."
Weeks later, he released the independent single Raina, which received a positive response from listeners.
The ongoing protest, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), began as a youth-led movement demanding reforms in India's education system.
The protesters are seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the education sector, particularly the alleged NEET paper leak.
Social activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protest earlier this month and began a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.
