Delhi's Rhiya Ahir moment? Woman stops bus carrying detainees at Jantar Mantar
As thousands of protesters converged on Delhi's Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, a striking moment from the agitation went viral quickly. A young woman stood in front of a bus, hand pressed to the hood, and refused to let it pass until the protesters detained inside were released. It didn't take long for social media to compare her with model Rhiya Ahir, who went viral after she was seen stopping a police vehicle during the student protests in Mumbai earlier this year.
Within hours, social media users were asking whether Delhi had found its own "Rhiya Ahir moment". However, a section also called it nothing but a "publicity stunt".
It came as parts of central Delhi were gripped by protests on Friday after the opposition, including the AAP and Congress, announced a massive agitation demanding Kumar's resignation over alleged SIR irregularities and mass deletion of voters.
So far, around 13.3 crore names have been deleted from draft voter lists amid the nationwide SIR exercise. The trigger for opposition protest was an Indian Express investigation that revealed an internal rift within the Election Commission over the SIR process.
The protest at Jantar Mantar descended into chaos as Delhi Police detained nearly 1,000 people, including political leaders and activists. Among those detained were AAP's Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bhardwaj and former chief minister Atishi.
However, amid the chaos and commotion, the young woman's attempt to stop the bus carrying detained protesters stood out. Videos showed her staying put in front of the police bus, refusing to budge as police repeatedly asked her to move aside. However, she held her ground, surrounded by protesters.
While her identity is not known, the young woman came in for praise as well as flak on social media. "Gen Z just doesn't take nonsense lying down. They are so brave," one user tweeted.
However, not all were convinced by her move. "Rhiya Ahir stopping a (police) vehicle was spontaneous. This one is staged," one user tweeted. Another opined that such acts have become a way to hog publicity and gain Instagram followers.
"Engagement farming," one posted. Another quipped, "Don't be shocked if she turns out to be an Instagram model next." The image of Mumbai model Rhiya Ahir that went viral WHO IS RHIYA AHIR?
The visual was reminiscent of a similar scene from Mumbai in July during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests. A young woman, drenched in the rain, was photographed standing in front of a police van carrying detained student protesters during an agitation at Shivaji Park.
The image came to define the student protests in Mumbai, which ultimately resulted in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister.
The woman was later identified as Rhiya Ahir, a Mumbai-based theatre actor and model. Within days, she was everywhere, from attending TV debates to holding a media briefing with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
It effectively became a springboard that catapulted her into the limelight. She was recently part of Salman Khan's reality show Big Boss.- Ends
