Meet Rhiya Ahir, Mumbai woman whose stand before a police van became a viral protest image

A young woman seen standing in front of a police van with her arms outstretched during a protest in Mumbai has become one of the most talked-about faces of demonstrations held in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party's agitation over the NEET paper leak.

The image of Rhiya Ahir, dressed in a grey hoodie and standing her ground amid heavy rain, has been widely shared on social media. The incident took place on Wednesday as people gathered in Mumbai to support the protests over alleged examination irregularities and condemn the reported police crackdown on demonstrators during the 'Sansad Chalo' march in Delhi.

Videos from the protest showed Ahir standing in front of a police vehicle carrying detained protesters as demonstrators raised slogans, briefly bringing traffic to a halt.

"We will take responsibility"

Speaking to local reporters, Ahir questioned the police's handling of the protests.

"While the police are doing their job, they are not doing it responsibly. If no one is taking responsibility, we will take responsibility for our citizens."

She added:

"I am not a student, my father is not a farmer, nor am I. I am not a Dalit or belong to the OBC community, but what they did to the students (in Delhi) is wrong. They have to own up to their actions."

Ahir also questioned why, if protesters were not allowed to march to Parliament, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan could not meet them at the protest site.

Who is Rhiya Ahir?

According to her Instagram profile, Rhiya Ahir is a 27-year-old actor, model and entrepreneur with nearly one lakh followers. She has appeared in music videos, including "Dilbara."

As per an earlier Hindustan Times report, Ahir was walking from Kohinoor Square in Dadar towards Shivaji Park when she noticed a police van carrying detained protesters.

"I couldn’t help myself," she said. “Their chants—they pulled me towards them. I was like, if I’m going for the protest, it starts from here. They’re taking them away, and I cannot let that happen.”

Ahir said police told her the detainees would be released after the vehicle had travelled some distance, but she said she did not accept that explanation.

"I was shaking on the inside"

Despite appearing calm in the viral videos, Ahir said she was nervous throughout the confrontation.

"When I confronted them, I was shaking on the inside."

She added:

"I knew that what I was doing was right."

Ahir also claimed the police initially tried to move the vehicle forward.

"They tried to accelerate a bit, but that didn’t budge me."

According to Ahir, she remained in front of the van until the detained protesters were released.

In another video posted on social media, Ahir said:

"Holding a peaceful rally to summon the Prime Minister is like... What are you living on 1947? If you want to summon the Prime Minister, you hold a big fat Indian wedding."

Ahead of joining the protest, she also shared a video explaining the precautions she had taken. Referring to the hat she was wearing, she said:

"This is a hat, if I get a stick on my head, you protect me from that."

Mumbai protests and police action

While Ahir's confrontation with the police became one of the defining visuals of the demonstrations, other videos from the protests also gained traction online. One clip showed protesters opening the rear door of a police van to free detained demonstrators, while others captured senior citizens cheering protesters from balconies and demonstrators clearing a path for children heading to a school bus.

According to PTI, Mumbai Police have registered 13 FIRs since July 18 in connection with the protests, booking around 400 people on charges including unlawful assembly and violation of prohibitory orders.

Police said demonstrations were held at Shivaji Park, Chaityabhoomi, Chembur and Shiv Sena Bhavan without permission. They have also imposed prohibitory orders across Mumbai from July 23 to August 6, barring the assembly of five or more people in public places, citing concerns over a possible breach of peace and disturbance to public tranquillity.