Shabana Azmi suffers asthma attack during CJP protest, says tear gas triggered it

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi has revealed that she suffered an asthma attack after being exposed to tear gas during the 'Chalo Sansad' protest in Delhi on Monday. The 75-year-old actor, who joined the march in support of students demanding action over examination irregularities, said she recovered with the help of her inhaler before returning to meet those injured during the demonstration.

Azmi was among the few film personalities to participate in the protest on the ground, backing the movement led by educator Sonam Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and reforms to the examination system following the paper leaks.

Recalling the events at Jantar Mantar, Azmi said tear gas triggered an asthma attack. "I am an asthmatic and got an attack because of the tear gas, but I had my pump with me, so I am okay now," she said in an interview with Indian Express.

The veteran actor added that she was "respectfully escorted to a nearby



building" after falling ill. Once she had recovered, she returned to interact with students who she said had been lathi-charged during the protest.

"Their spirit is unprecedented. My salaams to all of them," she said.

Explaining why she decided to join the demonstration, Azmi said she and her husband, lyricist-screenwriter Javed Akhtar, had initially tried to raise the issue privately with the Prime Minister.

"Javed Saab and I had written a letter to the PM on July 15 asking that they should initiate a dialogue with Sonam Wangchuk. We gave an assurance that we weren't going public with the letter, that we were urging him in confidence. We received a reply saying we would hear back in two days. We waited and waited, and then finally came here," she said.

Earlier, Azmi had also described witnessing tear gas and police action against students during the march. She said the protesters were determined to remain peaceful despite the situation and continued to demand dialogue with the government.