Model Rhiya Ahir, who shot to national prominence after a video of her standing in front of a Mumbai Police van during recent student protests went viral, on Wednesday alleged that she had been subjected to sustained harassment and online abuse in the aftermath of the demonstrations.
Speaking at a press conference addressed by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi alongside several student protesters, Ahir said she wanted people to remember her not as “the viral girl”, but as someone who stopped students from being “unlawfully detained”.
“I want to tell the media that I am not the girl who went viral for stopping the Mumbai Police. I am the girl who stopped 20 kids from being unlawfully detained. Please change your narrative, change your perspective,” she said.
Ahir alleged that the backlash she faced had gone far beyond online trolling. “I won’t call it trolling because this is not trolling, this is a crime,” she said, claiming that even political party workers were circulating derogatory posts about her on social media.
According to Ahir, some social media posts accused her of “selling her body for Rs 140”, remarks she described as deeply degrading. “Just imagine the kind of filth in their minds that they can make such comments,” she said.
She further claimed that despite lodging a complaint on July 27, no FIR had been registered so far. “Today is August 5. I still haven’t received an FIR,” she alleged.
In an emotional appeal, Ahir said, “Na ye betiyon ko padhne de rahe hain, na ye betiyon ko bachne de rahe hain” (They are neither letting daughters study nor protecting them).
WHO IS RHIYA AHIR?
The 27-year-old model became one of the most recognisable faces of the recent student protests after a video showed her standing with outstretched arms in front of a police van carrying detained protesters in Mumbai. The footage quickly went viral, with many hailing her as a symbol of resistance.
Ahir has maintained that her intervention was spontaneous. She has said she was walking near Dadar when she noticed protesters being taken away in a police vehicle and decided to block its path because she believed they were being detained unnecessarily. Although she later admitted she was “shaking on the inside”, she said she refused to move until the protesters were released.
The protests in Mumbai were linked to demonstrations over alleged irregularities in the education system and examination paper leaks. Police later registered multiple FIRs in connection with the protests, booking hundreds of people for alleged unlawful assembly and violating prohibitory orders.
RAHUL GANDHI BACKS PROTESTERS
Ahir was among several young protesters who appeared alongside Rahul Gandhi at Wednesday’s press conference. The Congress leader accused the government of using force and intimidation against students, alleging that protesters had been assaulted, threatened and harassed for demanding reforms in the education system. Gandhi also claimed that a 15-year-old girl was forced to apologise after “goons” were sent to the homes of protesters, and said the students had done nothing wrong by raising their voice against examination paper leaks and the state of the education system.
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Published By:
Priyanka Kumari
Published On:
Aug 5, 2026 19:57 IST
