Mumbai actor and model Rhiya Yadav, who went viral after visuals of her halting a police van packed with protesters at Shivaji Park last week surfaced online, has filed a police complaint over social media comments against her.
She said that while many people appreciate her, there will always be a few who speak against her, adding that while everyone has the right to express their opinion, nobody has the right to malign anyone.
“We all know who these people are. I will identify each one of them. When you get a platform, among the crores of people who are appreciating you, you will get a few who will speak against you. Everyone has the right to put forth their opinion but nobody has the right to degrade or malign anyone. This movement was about the rights of all of us, and not about a party, religion or individual…I will continue to take a stand against everything that is wrong. Don’t be scared and keep at it,” Yadav told news agency ANI.
Yadav had earlier told HT that she submitted an online complaint to the police on Saturday and would meet a senior cyber cell officer on Monday, seeking registration of a first information report (FIR) against those targeting her via social media.
“There has been consistent harassment, bullying, abuse and slut-shaming (since the July 22 incident). Right now it is online, but it can grow into something much larger. I don’t want my parents to be affected by this,” Yadav told HT.
Speaking about the moment that made her go viral, she said, “I stood up for citizens and spoke against what I believed was wrong. Similarly, I also have to stand up for myself and make sure this abuse does not go unanswered.”
“These people are deliberately creating a false narrative. They are claiming that I sell this content to exclusive subscribers on Instagram and earn lakhs of rupees. But I have publicly clarified that my bank account is not even linked to exclusive subscriptions and I have not earned a single rupee from any such content,” she told HT.
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The model’s father, Rajkumar Yadav, told HT that they had anticipated some backlash after his daughter’s intervention at the protest. “I knew the stand she took would lead some people to target and harass her. But this has gone too far. I am not fearful for her, but this kind of behaviour is simply not acceptable,” he told HT.
‘Cops were respectful towards her’
Earlier, Yadav had said that the police officers in the van she stood in front of were respectful towards her.
“I did not think about others at that moment, I just thought about the people in the van. There were cops in there and those cops, who I dealt with, were really respectful towards me. I was respectful towards them,” she told news agency ANI.
She added that she was not able to sleep for two nights, thinking about the students who continue to participate in the movement.
“My parents have really supported me in this. I am a little scared after this thing blew up, that wasn’t my intention. I am just a citizen of the nation trying to do right by myself and everyone around me. I haven’t slept for two nights because of what has happened with other students who are standing for this movement…”
The 27-year-old model became the face of the Mumbai student protests after intervening when she saw protesters being taken away by police. In the visuals that went viral, she was seen wearing a grey hoodie, a cap, and stopping the police van with one hand.
