Rhiya Ahir, Mumbai Model Who Stopped Police Van During Dadar Protest, Files Complaint With Cyber Cell Over Online Harassment

Mumbai: Rhiya Yadav Ahir, the 27-year-old model who became the face of Mumbai's recent student protests after standing in front of a police van carrying detained demonstrators, has approached the Maharashtra Cyber Cell alleging sustained online harassment, bullying and defamation following the viral incident.

Ahir, whose act at Shivaji Park on July 22 drew widespread attention on social media, said she filed an online complaint on Saturday and is scheduled to meet a senior cyber cell officer on Monday, seeking registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against those allegedly targeting her through social media platforms.

Speaking about the complaint, Ahir said she has been subjected to continuous abuse and slut-shaming since videos of the protest went viral. "There has been consistent harassment, bullying, abuse and slut-shaming. Right now it is online, but it can grow into something much larger. I don't want my parents to be affected by this," she said, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Recalling the protest, Ahir said she had intervened because she believed citizens were being treated unfairly and felt it was equally important to stand up for herself against the online abuse. "I stood up for citizens and spoke against what I believed was wrong. Similarly, I also have to stand up for myself and make sure this abuse does not go unanswered," she said.

According to Ahir, abusive comments and defamatory posts began appearing almost immediately after the incident and intensified over the following days. She alleged that several social media creators falsely portrayed her as an adult content creator, despite Instagram's community guidelines.

She claimed some creators with large online followings uploaded blurred photographs of her in a bikini while falsely alleging that they had accessed her exclusive pornographic content. "These people are deliberately creating a false narrative. They are claiming that I sell this content to exclusive subscribers on Instagram and earn lakhs of rupees. But I have publicly clarified that my bank account is not even linked to exclusive subscriptions and I have not earned a single rupee from any such content," Ahir said, according to the report.

Expressing concern over the possibility of morphed images being circulated in the future, Ahir said she wanted legal action to prevent further harassment. "I want to nip this in the bud. The constant harassment, bullying and slut-shaming must be punished. I also want to encourage others who face such attacks to report them to the police," she said.

Her father, Rajkumar Yadav, said the family had expected some backlash after her intervention during the protest but felt the abuse had crossed acceptable limits. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone X) Datta Nalawade confirmed that Ahir's complaint is being examined. He said the police are yet to register an FIR and will take an appropriate decision after reviewing the allegations.

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