John Cusack backs NEET protesters, shares Arundhati Roy’s article

Hollywood actor John Cusack has backed student protests over alleged NEET irregularities by sharing an article from Booker Prize winning author and activist Arundhati Roy, who criticised the authorities over their handling of the demonstrations in Delhi.

“Beautiful news from my favourite fellow cockroach,” Cusack wrote on X while sharing Roy’s post. His comments came after Delhi Police reportedly used force against thousands of protesters, many of them students, who had gathered in the capital to protest alleged irregularities in the examination system and the NEET paper leak.

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Cusack, known for films including “Serendipity”, “High Fidelity”, “Con Air” and “2012”, has previously voiced support for student movements in India. In 2019, he backed protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and criticised the Indian government following a police crackdown on students at Jamia Millia Islamia University.

The actor is among several international celebrities who have publicly commented on political and social developments in India. During the 2020-21 farmers’ protests, Grammy-winning singer Rihanna drew international attention to the demonstrations after sharing a news report about them on social media.

“Why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest,” Rihanna wrote in a post that triggered widespread debate and drew responses from the Indian government and several public figures.

Several Indian celebrities have also expressed support for the ongoing NEET protests. Actors Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Shabana Azmi, Prakash Raj, Alia Bhatt, Dulquer Salmaan, Sonakshi Sinha, Imran Khan, Richa Chadha, Swara Bhasker, Huma Qureshi, Revathy, Tovino Thomas, Abhay Deol and Anurag Kashyap are among those who have reportedly voiced support for the students.