'I don't look at news': Aamir Khan's daughter Ira reveals why she didn't speak about the student protest

Ira Khan and Aamir Khan. Pics via Instgram

The student protests over the NEET paper leak has been making headlines for several days now. As the protests continue to escalate throughout the country, several celebrities have come forward and extended their support and shared their views on the ongoing issues. Amid this, Aamir Khan's daughter Ira Khan has now broken her silence, revealing why she chose to stay silent on the matter over the days.

Ira Khan justifies her silence on student protest

Ira took to Instagram on Thursday to share a long video message explaining her silence. She started by saying, "It is true that I am an advocate for mental health and I ask for your attention whenever I speak on these topics. I think that mental health is all of life. I have chosen to say things and speak up about certain things. There are a couple of reasons why I haven't and I am going to do my best to articulate them."

She further added, "The first that comes to my mind is that I didn't think I had anything to say that was going to add to the conversation in any manner. Especially because I am not having feelings about it and that's something I do actively with all news. I usually don't look at it, I don't go to my explore page, I have not seen any videos of violence or any videos of the protest. I know that they are happening and I know what is happening but I don't let myself emotionally reach me because it really bothers me and I get overwhelmed and I start to feel really helpless… I divert my energy and focus… to figure out how can an individual person navigate the best they can with what they have in their individual capacity outside of any system or regardless of any system. I am not saying this is the best approach but this is what I do."

Ira went on to say, "I don't look at the news and I don't look at social media… so I have not had feelings about this. My feelings still haven't reached me. I got sent one reel and was told that my cousin was in it and she was potentially being detained at one of the protests and I freaked out. As soon as I realised that she was safe I went back to work… I did not say anything because I didn't realise that me saying anything would make a difference and so if me not speaking up at this point implied in any manner that I don't care then I am sorry that was not my intention."

Ira also noted that she is aware of the fact that the ongoing protest is about the exams and how there should be room for conversation and disagreement. Acknowledging that the ability to look away is a privilege, she wrote in the caption, "I see that being able to, being able to afford to… having the option at all to look away… is a privilege. I'm figuring out what my most helpful role can be that aligns with my values and that's what I'll do."

About the student protest

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) led student protest has been going on at Delhi's Jantar Mantar since June 6. Activist Sonam Wangchuk also joined the movement by going on a hunger strike. The protestors are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak in May and other examination irregularities. The students are also calling for comprehensive reforms to the education system through the protest.