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Rapper Talha Anjum has come out in support of student protesters from India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) who are facing tear gas and baton charges after attempting to march towards the Indian parliament in New Delhi.

Sharing a video of the crackdown, Anjum said he held the protesters in high regard and could understand their anger against the system in an Instagram story on Wednesday.

“To the student protesters in India. I have so much respect for your resilience, I understand your frustration, I understand what they’re trying to do [to] you. Stay strong,” the rapper said.

Anjum, who is Pakistan’s most streamed artist on Spotify, has a large fan following in India. His fans from across the border even landed him in hot water in November when he was handed an Indian flag while performing on stage in Nepal.

The rapper draped the flag on his shoulders in an apparent gesture of love and respect that ended with him apologising to fans in Pakistan on live TV.

He’s also not one to mince words over causes he believes in, recently raising his voice for the rescue of Pakistani seamen who were captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia in April.

Anjum called on the Foreign Office to set up a separate helpline manned constantly by one of its officers to liaise with the sailors’ families who deserved more than just a “generic, occasional statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs claiming they are ‘in touch with Somali Maritime forces’”.

The protests in New Delhi have been ongoing since last month, with the satirical CJP demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan after a series of entry test leaks.

Climate change activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the protesters, vowing to go on a hunger strike until the protesters’ demands were met. The 59-year-old was forcibly moved to a hospital by police on Saturday, 20 days into his hunger strike.

The CJP has maintained its sit-in in the Indian capital after an attempt to march to parliament on Monday was refused official permission and met with police action that left dozens injured.