Actor Bhumi Pednekar has said the public discourse should be respectful and criticised the use of abusive words against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by a few protestors during the Janatar Mantar agitation against the NEET-UG paper leak.
Some social media users accused her of selectively addressing the protests by remaining silent on the police action against protestors.
In a video shared on Instagram, Pednekar expressed concern over the language used in several viral protest clips, saying that public disagreement should not come at the cost of basic civility.
“Looking at the videos surfacing now, the kind of language being used, and the way the youth of our country are speaking, the youth of our country… this isn’t how we talk, man. We are talking about someone who holds the highest office in the country today,” she said.
The actor also spoke of public conduct and the respect shown towards elders within families, stressing that abusive language does not reflect India’s cultural values.
“Would we ever speak like this to the elders in our own homes? Can we really resort to using abusive language?” she asked.
Pednekar added that meaningful dialogue becomes difficult when people move away from those values. She called for unity while addressing pressing issues such as education and gender-based violence.
“We need to move forward together in unity,” she said.
While many users came in support, a section of social media users disagreed with her, leading to criticism online.
They argued that while she condemned the protesters’ language, she did not comment on the police action faced by students during the demonstrations.
One Instagram user wrote, “If you are so keen to speak up, why don’t you address the police brutality? Specifically targeted against women. How can that be justified?”
Another commented, “Would love to see you speak up when such language is used by our ministers too.”
In a separate Instagram post, Pednekar also shared a video featuring an interview clip of a minor who allegedly revealed that she and her mother had received death and rape threats following her participation at the protest.
The controversy comes amid protests leading to resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case.
The issue of paper leaks was later discussed by both Houses of Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he wanted to forgive the children who used derogatory language against him and his late mother during the protest at Jantar Mantar, saying that “mistakes happen in childhood” and that they should be guided rather than punished, dragged through court proceedings, or subjected to social harassment.
Sharing a video on his Instagram handle, the Prime Minister said the country and the world had witnessed what happened at Jantar Mantar, where “some mischievous children” used derogatory language.
He acknowledged that the incident had angered many people but stressed that children should be given an opportunity to correct their mistakes.
The Prime Minister said that legal action and social harassment would not solve the problem.
Source: Khaleej Times