Aamir Khan’s daughter, Ira Khan, has addressed questions surrounding her silence on the ongoing student protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, where several Bollywood celebrities have publicly expressed support. While actors including Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, and Kareena Kapoor shared their views on social media, Ira chose not to comment until now.

Ira Khan explains why she stayed silent on student protests: “I don’t look at the news”

Taking to Instagram, Ira posted a detailed video explaining why she refrained from speaking about the issue. Stressing that mental health remains her primary area of advocacy, she said, “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.”

Explaining her decision further, Ira said she did not believe her opinion would meaningfully contribute to the discussion. She shared, “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 also revealed that she avoids consuming news and social media content because it can become emotionally overwhelming. She recalled becoming anxious only after someone sent her a reel claiming her cousin might have been detained during one of the protests. Once she confirmed her cousin was safe, she returned to work. She said, “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.”

In the caption accompanying her post, Ira acknowledged that she understands the larger concerns surrounding the protests, including examination-related issues and the importance of allowing space for discussion and differing opinions. She also admitted that choosing to look away from such developments is a privilege, adding that she is still figuring out how she can contribute in a way that aligns with her values.

The student protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar has continued for nearly a month. Led by the CJP, the movement has also seen activist Sonam Wangchuk and several students join a hunger strike. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak and other examination-related irregularities, while also calling for broader reforms in the education system.

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