Mumbai: A tense standoff unfolded at Shivaji Park during students’ protest on Wednesday as a police van loaded with detained students attempted to pull away—only for 27-year-old Rhiya Ahir to step directly into its trajectory, forcing the vehicle to a complete halt. “They tried to accelerate and scare me, but I did not back down,” Ahir said. “If I don’t do this, I will feel guilty for doing nothing.”Ahir stressed her intervention was a direct response to deepening socio-economic disparity and widespread institutional failure. “I am not a student, my father is not a farmer, nor am I. I am not a Dalit nor do I belong to the OBC community, but what they did to the students (in Delhi) is wrong. They have to own up to their actions,” she said. “The system has failed us in so many ways—from senior citizens to animals,” she said. “This is about all the marginalised, right down to the Dalit sanitation workers who clean the city’s filth for a pittance.” She said that generations of public compliance have come to an end, demanding immediate accountability and open dialogue over top-down governance. Refusing to be intimidated by law enforcement tactics, Ahir stated that the growing youth movement has no intention of quietly backing away. “We are not scared to raise our voice,” Ahir said. “We have to start a wave which they cannot ignore.”Riya is an actor, model, and entrepreneur, as per her Instagram bio. She has around a lakh followers on Instagram and has been seen in music videos. (with agency inputs)
