A dramatic incident from the continuing student protests in Mumbai has brought actor, model and entrepreneur Rhiya Yadav into the limelight as she stood in front of a police van carrying detained protesters during a demonstration in the city.
Yadav was seen blocking the police vehicle during a protest near Shivaji Park in Dadar on Wednesday. The demonstration was organized by students and supporters demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and the NEET paper leak controversy.
A video of the incident soon went viral on social media. Yadav was seen wearing a hoodie and cap and standing in heavy rain in front of the police vehicle and refused to move. Her response helped to release some detained protesters, according to reports.
“The police aren’t doing their job responsibly,” she reportedly told reporters after the incident.
The moment has made Yadav one of the most recognisable faces of the Mumbai protests, held in solidarity with the wider movement led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) in Delhi.
Who Is Rhiya Yadav?
Rhiya Yadav is an actor, model and entrepreneur who has a big Instagram following and has appeared in music videos recently. Recently she appeared in the music video “Dilbara.”
Yadav is also a producer in the entertainment industry and runs a personalised clothing brand called “Rhiyasat.” The brand is based on customised clothing and Yadav is said to be involved in making and hand-crafting clothes.
Her profile rose rapidly after the protest video showed her standing in front of the police van during the detention of demonstrators.
Mumbai saw protests at several locations on Wednesday as students and supporters protested over examination irregularities. The demonstrations led to the detention of several people and heavy police deployment in parts of the city.
At Regal Cinema Chowk in south Mumbai, senior Congress leaders such as Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and former state minister Naseem Khan were stopped by police as they were heading towards the Maharashtra BJP office.
The leaders also wanted to present a copy of the Constitution of India to BJP leaders, it stated. Police later forcibly removed them from the traffic intersection and took them to Colaba police station.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Garden in Chembur. The police detained several of them under tight security. Some of them were dragged into police vehicles and taken to a local police station, said one of them.
The protesters carried placards demanding reforms in education and action on the alleged NEET paper leak. When several people were detained, the rest of the crowd dispersed from the protest site.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and MNS leader Amit Thackeray later visited the protest site and police station. Sources said the detained protesters were later released following their intervention.
A similar incident occurred at Shivaji Park, where a woman wearing a burqa was stopped by police while engaging in the protest. Sharmila Thackeray, wife of MNS chief Raj Thackeray, was reported to have come to her side and sat next to her.
Several large crowds also gathered outside Shiv Sena Bhavan and raised slogans against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Rhiya Yadav’s protest stance in front of the police van is one of the most highly visible moments of the Mumbai protests. Her sudden rise to public attention is a good example of how individual actions during large-scale protests can become symbols of resistance on social media.
