Actor Imran Khan staged a protest in Mumbai on Wednesday to stand in solidarity with students protesting against alleged NEET paper leaks and other exam-related irregularities. The participation came a day after strongly condemning police action against protesters during the “Chalo Sansad” rally in Delhi.During the protests in Mumbai, Imran was asked how he would respond to actors who choose not to engage with politics, arguing that art and politics should be separate. This question was asked by another player who was on the trip.In a strong response, Imran rejected the idea that an artist can remove their work from their beliefs. “True art will have the idea of the individual artist embedded within it, and as part of our human nature, we will have thoughts and feelings that we are confident about ourselves. If you can’t stand with your thoughts and if you don’t pour your heart into your art, your art has no value.”His comments come at a time when many celebrities have remained silent on the student movement, while others have publicly supported the protests through public appearances and social media posts.Earlier, after videos from the Delhi protests surfaced online, Imran expressed his dismay at reports that students were teargassed and harassed by the police.“Today something disturbed me. Seeing the police beating and beating the protesters… how could I understand this? These students who worked hard, failed the system. These people asked to be heard, they were met with silence. These citizens who stood up to show what is important to them…were beaten down and rejected by the establishment,” he wrote.Asking how the opposition did, he also wrote, “Are these not the children of Mother India? If not them, who are we building, and whose future do we say we are protecting?”Imran also criticized those who expect students to behave in an orderly manner while, according to him, they fail to call for the same responsibility from institutions and those in charge.The movement led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has been going on for almost a month, with the protestors demanding an investigation into the alleged leak of the NEET paper and demanding the resignation of the Education Minister. Dharmendra Pradhan.Freedom activist Sonam Wangchuk has also joined the agitation and is said to be on the 26th day of her hunger strike. Earlier this week, students attempted to march from Jantar Mantar to Parliament as part of the ‘Chalo Sansad’ campaign.