Who is Sonia Sehrawat? RAF officer at centre of row over 'dead cockroach' Instagram Story

Sonia Sehrawat, an officer of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), is drawing massive flak on social media after she posted an image of a dead cockroach, writing, “Can’t fix themselves and they wanna fix the country." Screenshots of the Instagram Story quickly began circulating online, with several users calling it "insensitive and sadistic."

The viral post also drew a response from the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a satirical online movement that has now evolved into a youth movement protesting against education reforms and demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Cockroaches never die!

Describing Sehrawat's post as "shocking", CJP wrote on X: "This RAF official actually sees the peaceful protesters as cockroaches and thinks that the brutality of the police was justified because of that,” the CJP said on X. “But you see, we are cockroaches. And cockroaches never die!”

According to a report by Brut, Sehrawat was injured while being deployed at Jantar Mantar on July 20 during a CJP protest.

Videos of the protest quickly spread across social media, followed by interviews in which Sehrawat recounted her experience during the police deployment. Delhi Police subsequently registered multiple FIRs over the clashes, and the investigation is ongoing.

Two days later, Sehrawat posted the Instagram Story, which was later deleted, on her account. However, Mint couldn't verify the authenticity of the Instagram handle.

Sehrawat's social media posts have sparked widespread discussion among personnel and officers of the RAF and the CRPF, with some expressing concern over their impact on the forces' image.

“These posts are creating a bad name for the forces. We are a professional unit and we have the mandate of crowd control and handle riot-like situations,” a CRPF officer told ThePrint.

“Making political comments such as this one, even from a personal account when the personnel is personally involved in the duties, should amount to a disciplinary issue. Let’s see if the top brass take cognisance and a tough stance on it,” the officer added.

Who is Sonia Sehrawat?

Sonia Sehrawat is an Assistant Commandant in the CRPF and serves with the Rapid Action Force (RAF), the force's specialised unit for riot control and crowd management.

Apart from her policing career, Sehrawat has a significant presence on Instagram, where she shares dance videos, fitness content, trending reels, personal updates and occasional glimpses of her life in uniform.

In an interview with Win Life Like a Warrior, Sehrawat said she was raised in Haryana, where traditional social norms often limited opportunities for girls. She said those experiences motivated her to pursue a career in the armed forces.

Training and career

Speaking on the Win Life Like a Warrior podcast, Sonia Sehrawat recalled sustaining a severe injury during her training that required 52 stitches. Despite the setback, she recovered and completed the training programme, describing the incident as a defining moment in her career.