Indian model Rhiya Ahir, who stopped police van during student protest, to file cyber complaint over alleged online abuse

Dubai: Indian model Rhiya Ahir, who shot to prominence after standing in front of a moving police van during a student protest at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, will file a complaint with the cyber cell alleging that she has been subjected to online threats, abusive messages and morphed images following the demonstration on July 22.

Ahir told Gulf News that she decided to take legal action after several social media users allegedly shared defamatory and malicious content targeting her.

"Many people appreciated me for raising my voice against the injustice faced by students, but some individuals crossed the line by posting abusive and defamatory content," she told reporters in India.

According to Mid Day, Ahir maintained that while criticism and differing opinions are part of public discourse, no one has the right to insult or defame another person.

She said she had lodged a complaint through the cybercrime portal, adding that publishing malicious content and damaging a person's reputation are punishable offences.

The complaint comes days after Ahir emerged as one of the most recognisable faces of the nationwide student protests, with a photograph of her standing defiantly in front of a moving police van in the rain becoming one of the defining images of the movement.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Ahir had insisted that the spotlight should remain on the students rather than on her.

"I'm simply just the girl in front of the van," she said. "I'm just a voice, a little helping hand who lent her voice in this beautiful, big movement."

She added that the real faces of the movement were the students who had lost their lives.

"The students who lost their lives are the face of the movement. We should not deflect from the students and the martyrs just because of me. They wanted to become doctors. They are the face of the movement."

After Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following the protests, Ahir described the moment as a victory but cautioned that the movement's demands were far from over.

"This is like Diwali for us," she told Gulf News in a video message shortly after the resignation.

"I am beyond thrilled and this shows how Gen Z is not going to keep quiet. Enough is enough... let's go!"

However, she stressed that the resignation was only the beginning.

"This is just half the step. There's still the other half. Who is going to be the new minister? This is all about continuous progress. In 2024, something similar had happened and it is still the same. We really hope things change for the good."

'The protest was about students' rights'

Ahir said the demonstration at Shivaji Park was organised solely in support of students and was not affiliated with any political party, religion or individual.

She said the movement focused on justice and students' rights and that she would continue speaking out against issues she believed were wrong.

"I was there as a citizen of India who wants to stand up against something that is wrong," she said in her interview with Gulf News. "That is what I've been raised as in my family. Our parents always tell us, if something is unjust, stand up for it. For me, it was nothing extraordinary. It was just me being me."

She also encouraged others not to be intimidated by online abuse and to continue standing up for what they believe in.

Responds to online rumours

Addressing speculation circulating on social media, Ahir denied claims that her personal photographs had been leaked or that subscription-based content featuring her existed.

She urged people not to believe or share unverified information and reminded users to verify the authenticity of online content before accepting it as genuine.

Viral image and growing attention

Ahir became one of the most recognisable faces of the July 22 protest after videos and photographs showed her standing in front of a moving police van carrying detained student protesters.

Reflecting on the now-viral photograph, she said she was initially amused by it.

"When my friends first sent me the picture, I was like, 'What is that pose?'" she recalled, explaining that she had injured her knee during gymnastics the previous day and could not stand completely straight.

Her father, who served in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, had encouraged her to attend the protest even when she thought it might be cancelled.

"'What if it's cancelled? People are still going to show up. Go,'" she recalled him telling her.