Protesters carrying flags, some dressed as cockroaches, marched on as police fired tear gas and wielded sticks to stop them at Jantar Mantar on Monday. Hollywood star John Cusack on Thursday came out in support the ongoing student protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Two days after the Delhi Police lathi-charged against protestors during the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) Chalo Sansad march, John Cusack took to his X account to show his support for the student-led protests in India.John Cusack has shown support for the student protests in India.What John Cusack saidJohn posted an essay written by Booker Prize-winning author and activist Arundhati Roy with the title ‘Cockroach Democracy: Unarmed and Dangerous’. He wrote in the caption, “Beautiful news from my favorite fellow cockroach.”This is not the first time that Cusack, the star of blockbusters such as Serendipity, High Fidelity, Con Air and 2012 has spoken up about protests in India. Earlier, he had also supported students during their protest against the amended Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019. At the time, the actor had criticised the Indian government following a police crackdown on students of the Jamia Millia Islamia university.What happened at the protests on MondayAccording to Delhi officials, during Monday’s protest by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in the New Delhi area, the protesters displayed unruly, aggressive, and violent behaviour. Despite repeated warnings and lawful directions issued by the police, they refused to disperse and deliberately violated the prohibitory orders in force. The protestors, however, claim that Delhi Police personnel targeted them indiscriminately, leading to several injuries on their side as well. Several videos on social media show Delhi Police personnel lathi-charging the students and resorting to firing tear gas. Protestors have alleged that people in civil clothes without police accreditation attacked them as well.What are the protests aboutThe CJP-led protests have been ongoing for over two weeks amid allegations of irregularities in the education sector, particularly the alleged leaks of NEET exams. Social activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the protest earlier this month, starting a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. The protestors met representatives of the central government on Tuesday, but the protests continue. On Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sat in protest outside the PM's residence with several Congress leaders, but was soon detained by the police.While the protest site had remained largely peaceful on Wednesday, tensions escalated on the Sansad Marg stretch, with clashes breaking out between protesters and police. While security personnel used tear gas shells for protesters who had spilled on to Sansad Marg, the protesters pelted stones at police personnel and chased them on the main radial road of Connaught Place. According to the Delhi Police, at least five cops - 2 ACPs, one inspector, one head constable and one constable, were injured in the fresh tensions.Santanu Das is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over 5 years of experience, writing on films, pop culture and film festivals. He has a keen interest in writing about South Asian independent films and has covered several film festivals, including Sundance and CPH: Docx. He also brings a sharp perspective to the monthly column called The Fault in Our Stars, where he writes about a recent film/series and what stops the ‘good’ from becoming ‘great’.