Indian Female Actor Rias Ahir Targeted Online After Joining Gen Z Protests: "They Are Demonizing Me"

Indian women who participated in large-scale protests organized by an online group of Generation Z (born between 1995 and 2007) against unfairness, sparked by a recent medical school entrance exam question leak scandal, are facing online harassment, including sexual harassment.

According to the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) on August 19 (local time), Riya Ahir (27), a model and actor based in Mumbai, western India, drew attention after participating in a large-scale protest last month held by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), a Gen Z political movement group.

This came after a photo went viral online showing her defiantly blocking a police bus carrying detained protesters with a single hand.

However, Ahir was subsequently criticized online, with users claiming she was "flaunting her body" due to her outfit at the time and the posture of pushing her hips slightly backward.

False rumors also circulated that she sold explicit content on the social media platform Instagram for 149 rupees (approximately 2,200 won).

The NYT reported that these acts were carried out by anonymous accounts promoting Hindu nationalist ideologies.

Ahir pointed out to the NYT, "Soon after receiving unexpected attention, the hate started pouring in," adding, "They are trying to demonize me and undermine the credibility of the women who participated in the protests."

Not only the Indian women who participated in the protests, but even their families have faced intimidation from local police officers.

Indian police officers visited the home of the relatives of Danish Ali, a student activist pursuing a graduate degree in Delhi, telling them that they were "under investigation," or called his father to scare him by saying that (his daughter) "should focus on her studies."

Recently, Kangana Ranaut, a member of parliament belonging to the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also joined in criticizing young, so-called westernized Indian women.

She called young Indian women the "gutter generation" and criticized them, saying they "have nothing to contribute to society and are unfit to even become housewives."

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi also mentioned the insults hurled by female protesters, asking, "How can the daughters of this country use such language?" and calling it a "cultural shock," while remaining silent regarding the young men who chanted slogans alongside them.


Observers note that the reason attacks are disproportionately directed at female Gen Z protesters stems from deeply rooted misogyny within Indian society.

The NYT pointed out that this represents an additional risk that women in a patriarchal Indian society must endure to stand by their convictions.

Ahir asked in response, "Do I need to be afraid of someone who says, 'I'll smash you to pieces if I see you'?" and added, "If I want to raise my voice for my country, do I really have to wear a sari (traditional full-body Indian attire)?"

The CJP was formed after controversial remarks made last May by Indian Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant, who compared unemployed youths to cockroaches.

Just as allegations of question leaks surfaced ahead of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical courses, the CJP led protests in the capital of New Delhi for nearly two months, ultimately forcing Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign.

Meanwhile, the BJP replaced the head of its social media strategy the previous day, a position held for over a decade since 2015.

This marks the first organizational reshuffle by BJP President Nitin Nabin (45), who took office in January as the youngest ever, and is interpreted as an effort to strengthen online communication with Gen Z voters ahead of the 2029 general election.

While the CJP's Instagram account has surpassed 20 million followers, the BJP, which calls itself the world's largest political party, has fewer than half that number with 9.7 million followers.

(Photo: X, AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.