Ayesha Khan Hits Back At Troll Warning Her Over NEET Protest Support: ‘I’d Rather Lose My Career Than My Spine’

Actor Ayesha Khan has become one of the latest Bollywood voices to publicly back the ongoing student protests over the alleged NEET paper leak, but her participation has also invited online criticism. The Dhurandhar actor shared a screenshot of a direct message she received on Instagram after posting videos from a protest in Mumbai. The message read, “No work for you in Bollywood now,” suggesting that supporting the movement could damage her acting career.

Ayesha responded with a firm statement that quickly gained traction on social media. “I would rather lose my career than lose my spine. Scare someone else, thank you, bye bye.” Her response has since been widely shared online, with many users praising her for standing by her views despite the criticism.

Actor claims she was detained during Mumbai demonstration

Earlier in the day, Ayesha posted a series of videos from the protest, alleging that she had been detained by Mumbai Police despite standing peacefully on the road. In one video, she is seen asking police officers where they were taking her, while another shows several women police personnel escorting her into a police vehicle. Sharing the footage, Ayesha questioned the grounds for her detention.

“Detained me for what? For standing on the road?” she wrote, adding that she was not even part of a group large enough to violate public gathering restrictions. The actor later said she and others were taken to Worli Police Station, where she claimed police personnel treated them courteously despite her disagreement over the detention.

According to Ayesha, she had travelled to Dadar with her brother and friends to express solidarity with students protesting against the alleged examination irregularities. She alleged that police first detained her brother and her male friends before asking her and others to board a police van. Mumbai Police has not publicly responded to Ayesha’s specific allegations at the time of writing.

Bollywood’s growing support for the student movement

Ayesha’s comments come as more members of the film industry publicly support the nationwide protests. Actors including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Anupam Kher, Sonakshi Sinha, Riteish Deshmukh and Aditi Rao Hydari have shared messages backing students, while Huma Qureshi, Saqib Saleem and Shalini Pandey have participated in demonstrations in Mumbai. Earlier this week, Prakash Raj, Shabana Azmi and rapper Hanumankind also joined the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march in New Delhi.

The protests, which began over allegations of irregularities in the NEET examination, have expanded to several cities across India. Student groups continue to demand greater accountability in the education system, while demonstrations at Jantar Mantar and other locations remain ongoing.