Munawar Faruqui joins CJP protest at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park

Munawar Faruqui has taken his support for protesting students from social media to the streets. The stand-up comedian was spotted among hundreds of protesters at Shivaji Park in Dadar on Friday, July 24. Dressed in black and wearing a face mask, Munawar stood in the crowd holding a placard that read, “I’m just doing my job, standup.” The cheeky wordplay may have carried Munawar’s signature touch, but his message was clear. He was there to stand with the students. Munawar had earlier spoken against the reported police action on demonstrators, questioning why students demanding answers were being treated like criminals. Now, instead of limiting his support to an Instagram story or statement, the Bigg Boss 17 winner showed up at the protest himself. The gathering was part of the continuing CJP-led movement demanding accountability over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks. Protesters have also been demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. Thousands have reportedly gathered at Shivaji Park during demonstrations this week despite detentions and cases against several participants. According to the reports around 400 people were booked in Mumbai over five days. Munawar Faruqui also took to Instagram to pen a strong-worded post that read, “It’s disappointing most celebrities suddenly finding their voice only after the PM spoke and public sentiment shifted. For last 25 days, most stayed silent while young people took to the streets, faced criticism and paid the price for speaking up. If you are going to take a stand, do it without fear, not only when its safe. Support driven by pressure or public opinion isn’t courage, its convenience.” At a time when several celebrities are being questioned for remaining silent or posting only after the protests gained nationwide attention, Munawar’s appearance on the ground has caught attention. For once, “doing stand-up” wasn’t about delivering jokes on a stage.