Mumbai woman blocks police van during NEET Protest, video goes viral
3 min readUpdated: Jul 23, 2026 06:55 PM IST
The video showed a young woman, wearing a hoodie and a cap, standing in front of the van amid rain. (Credits: X/ @CJP_for_India/ Image enhanced using AI)
A video of model Rhiya Ahir standing in front of a Mumbai Police van carrying detained protesters during NEET paper leak demonstrations has gone viral on social media. The incident, which took place at Shivaji Park in Dadar, has turned Ahir into one of the most recognisable faces of the student protest movement.
As chants against the government’s police action reverberate around her, the Mumbai woman is seen single-handedly blocking the path of a police van, defiantly standing in front of it with one hand outstretched.
Soon, a crowd forms behind her, some distance away, with Ahir too joining in the chants: “Jab Jab Modi Darta Hay, Police Ko Aage Karta Hay (PM Modi resorts to police action when he’s afraid). Donning a hoodie and cap, standing in front of the van in the Mumbai rain, Ahir has become another face of the protest.
The Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which organised the Parliament march on July 20, has been organising protest meets since its founder Abhijit Dipke returned to India. The CJP shared the video on X with the message, “Our girls are no less than boys,” a dialogue from the Bollywood movie Dangal, which was based on Phogat sisters, the wrestlers from Haryana, and had strong woman empowerment motifs.
हमारी छोरिया छोरो से कम नहीं,
मुंबई में लड़कियां भविष्य सुरक्षित करने के लिए संघर्ष करती हुई।#मुंबई pic.twitter.com/91fugfBFM3
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 23, 2026
Showing solidarity with the protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi led by the CJP, demonstrations have been held across Mumbai over the past few days, with protesters demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET paper leak. Protest sites included Shivaji Park in Dadar, Chembur, Juhu, and Powai.
Protester releases others from moving police van
In another incident, protesters being transported in a police van after being detained managed to get out after a passer-by opened the rear door of the vehicle, allowing them to escape.
Cops warns protesters
Another viral clip purportedly shows a Mumbai Police personnel threatening detained protesters with false FIRs.
In the video recorded by the protesters, the police personnel can be heard saying: “Wapis idhar kidhar mila to mere jaisa bekaar aadmi koi nahin hoga… main direct 50-50 gram powder dalega khise me phir gaya phir zindagi gaya no jamin. tumhare wajah se humareko takleef hain” (If I see you here again, there won’t be anyone worse than me. I will directly plant 50 grams of powder in your pockets, and it will ensure you won’t get bail and your life will be ruined. We are facing trouble because of you.)
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray have announced a joint march in Mumbai on July 26 in support of students protesting against the NEET paper leak.
Source: Indian Express
