Dhurandhar Actor Ayesha Khan Detained by Mumbai Police During NEET Protests

Dhurandhar Actor Ayesha Khan Detained by Mumbai Police During Student Protests
Actor Ayesha Khan, who recently gained widespread popularity for her appearance in the hit song "Shararat" from the film Dhurandhar, was detained by the Mumbai Police on July 22. She was taken into custody during student-led demonstrations held in solidarity with NEET aspirants and student demands for educational reforms and accountability.

The Incident at Dadar
According to Ayesha Khan, she arrived at the protest venue near Shivaji Park in Dadar around 4:00 PM to show support alongside her brother and friends. However, the situation escalated quickly when police intervened.

Sharing her ordeal through a series of emotional videos on Instagram Stories, Ayesha claimed that she and her companions had not raised any slogans, displayed placards, or even started protesting. She stated that after her brother and male friends were forced into a police van, she and two other female friends were standing peacefully on the roadside when approximately 15 police personnel—including female officers—surrounded them and compelled them to enter the vehicle.

"My hands are literally shivering right now. I've been detained in the police van just for standing on the road peacefully. I didn't say a word. I didn't even start the protest," Ayesha shared from inside the police van.

Questioning the Detention
The actor expressed deep frustration over the lack of communication from authorities, noting that officers failed to answer why she was being detained or what law she had broken. She and her friends were subsequently transported from Dadar to the Worli Police Station. While she noted that the personnel at the police station treated them politely, she strongly criticized the aggressive handling and pushing by officers at the protest site.

Release from Custody
Following hours of updates and widespread social media attention, Ayesha posted an update informing her followers that she had been released. She later headed to another station to secure the release of her brother, emphasizing that their group had been targeted and separated across different parts of the city despite "doing nothing wrong".

The protests in Mumbai are part of wider demonstrations that originated in New Delhi—launched by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)—following widespread student discontent over examination irregularities, paper leaks, and systemic accountability.