Rijiju Slams Shah Over Support For Jamia Students (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has launched a sharp attack on veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, calling him a “dangerous urban Naxal” and a “subversive intellectual” after the actor expressed support for students protesting at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia over the restoration of their students’ union.
In a post on X, Rijiju said he had misunderstood Shah’s political views for years and accused him of being detrimental to India’s democratic system.
“I used to respect and like Naseeruddin Shah, thinking he was just an ordinary actor. I had no idea that he was a dangerous urban Naxal, a subversive intellectual. I discovered his true character far too late. He is extremely detrimental to India’s democracy," the Union minister said.
I thought Naseeruddin Shah was just an ordinary actor. I used to respect & like him.. I never knew that he was a dangerous urban Dimagi Naxal !
मुझे उसके असली चरित्र के बारे में बहुत देर से पता चला।। भारत के लोकतंत्र के लिए अत्यंत हानिकारक है। https://t.co/McSDNBJjPt
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) October 28, 2026
Rijiju’s remarks came after Shah shared a video on Facebook on Tuesday, supporting Jamia students campaigning for the restoration of their union. Wearing a badge reading ‘Dimagi Naxal’, the actor criticised the BJP-led government and questioned its handling of student protests.
“I proudly declare that I am Dimagi Naxal. I don’t know what other nicknames the watchmen have given to people like me, anti-national, tukde tukde gang, and I don’t know what else," Shah said in Hindi.
The term ‘Dimagi Naxal’ has been used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ruling party leaders to target critics and Opposition figures.
Questioning the government's approach towards young people and educational institutions, Shah said, “…I want to ask this government a question. What else will you do to break the courage of our country’s youth, to destroy the education system, and to put our democracy at risk? How much will you do? How far will you go?"
Shah referred to protests at Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Satyajit Ray Film Institute and Jamia Millia Islamia, warning that the treatment of students would be remembered.
“First Jawaharlal Nehru University, then Satyajit Ray Film Institute, and now Jamia Millia. The atrocities that are being done on students will be remembered. Everything will be remembered," he said.
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He also recited a line from freedom fighter Bismil Azimabadi’s poem "Sarfaroshi ki tamanna ab hamare dil mein hai, Dekhna hai zor kitna baazu-e-qaatil mein hai".
Shah has previously supported student protests at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute in Kolkata and criticised the government's handling of demonstrations over the NEET paper leak.
At Jamia, students are demanding a fixed schedule for student union elections and a deadline for ratifying the union’s constitution. The university has not held student union elections since 2006, following incidents of campus violence.
