A familiar Bollywood catchphrase found its way into a real-life protest in Ranchi on Monday when a man dressed as Pushpa joined hundreds of students and job aspirants marching towards the Jharkhand Assembly.
The protester, dressed in the signature style of Allu Arjun’s popular film character, said he had chosen to join the demonstration “in Pushpa style” and used the character’s rebellious image to voice support for the protesting students.
“Jharkhand ke students jhukenge nahi, rukenge nahi, jab tak nyay milega nahi,” he told ANI, declaring that the state’s students would neither bow down nor stop until they received justice.
Explaining his decision to dress as Pushpa, the man said he wanted the Jharkhand students’ agitation to receive national attention. He also questioned the selective support given to student movements, referring to reports that prominent actors and influencers had joined or supported protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“People told me that big actors and influencers reached Jantar Mantar to support that protest. These people are also students, we should not discriminate,” he said.
He further appealed to the government to listen to the demands of the protesting students, drawing a comparison with parents who eventually listen to their children when their demands are genuine.
The Pushpa-inspired protester was not the only person to attract attention during the march. Another participant appeared in a Spider-Man costume as students gathered for the Vidhan Sabha Gherao, adding another unusual sight to the demonstration.
The costumes appeared to be an attempt to draw greater public and media attention to the students’ agitation, which has continued for more than two weeks over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
The demonstration saw a large mobilisation in Ranchi, with thousands of students and job aspirants marching from the Old Vidhan Sabha towards the Jharkhand Assembly.
The protesters began their nearly 3-km march at around 10 am but were stopped roughly 1.5 km from the Assembly, where several layers of barricades had been erected and a heavy police presence was deployed.
Police personnel repeatedly appealed to the protesters through loudspeakers to maintain peace, telling them, “Aap hamare bhai-behen hain, shanti banaye rakhein” – meaning, “You are our brothers and sisters, please maintain peace.”
The situation became tense when protesters pushed through the first major barricade while attempting to move towards the Assembly. Police subsequently used lathis to push the crowd back, while arrangements had also been made for the possible use of tear gas.