Barmer/New Delhi- In a swift wave of solidarity sweeping X, Bahujan voices are turning the tide against the vicious "reel star" smear on IAS Tina Dabi, the Dalit trailblazer who cracked UPSC AIR-1 at 22 and just last month steered Barmer to India's first-ever Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Award from President Droupadi Murmu for groundbreaking water conservation under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.

What began as a student protest over fee hikes at Maharana Bhupal College, escalating into ABVP-affiliated chants mocking her social media presence, has exposed deep-seated casteist resentment, with supporters decrying it as yet another Manuwadi hit on Dalit excellence.

RJD National Spokesperson Priyanka Bharti, a fierce advocate against caste biases, has long championed Bahujan IAS officers like Dabi, slamming systemic sabotage in posts railing against "Manuwadi cartoons" targeting figures such as IAS Santosh Verma, echoing the pattern here where Dabi's surname alone invites scrutiny absent for upper-caste peers.

The Spark: 'Reel Star' Taunt and Alleged Police Action

The incident unfolded on Saturday at Maharana Bhupal College (MBC) Girls College in Barmer, where students, some affiliated with the BJP-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), staged a sit-in against a hike in examination fees. They demanded a meeting with Dabi, chanting "Tina Dabi se milna hai!" (We want to meet Tina Dabi!). When an official suggested she was their "role model," the protesters fired back: "The Collector is not a role model. Ahilya Bai and Durgavati are our role models. If she were, she would have come here to listen to our demands. She is a reel star – she goes everywhere to make reels but doesn't pay attention to our problems."

A video of the exchange went viral, showing police detaining four male students briefly at the station to "cool down" the situation after the protest allegedly turned disruptive, with road blockages. Students claimed it was an arrest for "expressing views," while senior police officer Manoj Kumar clarified: "No one was detained or arrested. We brought four boys to the station to calm things and let them go after two hours. No girls were mishandled." A crowd later gathered outside the station demanding an apology, which was resolved after senior officers intervened.

Dabi dismissed the uproar in a statement to NDTV: "No one was arrested or detained. The fee hike issue was already resolved, but some students blocked the road and created a nuisance. My subordinates took them for talks, and they left two hours later. The ground issue is dead – it's only alive on social media for cheap publicity and to malign me." The hashtag #ReelStarTinaDabi trended, drawing criticism from figures like Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who called it "another day of bureaucrat intolerance" amid "corruption and power drunkenness."

Bahujan Backlash: 'Casteist Conspiracy Against Dalit Excellence'

Bahujan intellectuals and activists have flooded social media with support, decrying the episode as a targeted smear on Dabi's Dalit identity and achievements. Writer and anti-caste advocate Lokesh Bag posted: "IAS Tina Dabi is being targeted once again & it is clearly deliberate. A woman from our community topping the UPSC with AIR 1 is still something many casteists cannot accept. As District Collector of Barmer, Rajasthan, Tina Dabi led a major water conservation initiative that earned the district its first-ever Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari Award from the President of India."

Anti caste activist Dr Rehna Raveendran wrote: "Hate against Tina Dabi has a political support. BJP's student organization ABVP is also chasing Dalit IAS officers like its parent party did in Madhya Pradesh and Haryana!" In another post, Rehna shares, "The lady superstar of Indian Administrative Service with AIR 1 and inspiration for millions. India's real star, India's pride." Rehna also cited examples of Dalit IPS officer Puran Kumar who committed suicide in Haryana months back, Dalit IAS officer Santosh Verma, who was targetted in Madhya Pradesh. She said, "Dalit woman IAS officer Tina Dabi is now directly targetted by BJP's student wing ABVP in BJP ruling Rajasthan, on fake news. Dalit officers aren't safe in BJP run states."

Political scientist and Jadavpur University Assistant Professor Subhajit Naskar added: "Cute! some UC liberals became selective 'rights advocate' to pull up Dalit woman IAS Tina Dabi. It just needed little enquiry to know those 'sweet kids' before hounding Tina Dabi. RSS's student wing ABVP posted, their leaders were ORGANISED there!! Hope,things are clear!"

Swayam Sainik Dal, a Bahujan collective, stressed, " The attempt to demean Tina is a casteist conspiracy, driven by insecurity over her remarkable and commendable work. These attacks are not criticism,they are a reflection of prejudice. We stand firmly with her."

Senior IRS officer Nethrapal also expressed solidarity with the Dalit icon. In a x post, Nethrapal wrote, " Targeting Tina Dabi for this… If you want go study and get Rank 1 If roads are not fine, go and file a complaint against the engineers who are in charge… MLA should answer Local councillor Panchayat members should answer Out of nowhere they target a collector just because she is a role model".

Ambedkarite handle The Dalit voice too, echoed similar sentiments. A post read, " Manuwadi forces always target Dalit officers. First it was IAS Santosh Verma, then IAS Meenakshi Singh and now IAS Tina Dabi. The only reason is caste. Tina Dabi is a national role model—an UPSC topper, a gold medalist, and a recipient of several national awards."

Another post from an Ambedkarite user reads, " Tina Dabi has an Aura which cannot be matched. Hence the heartburn in some communities."

Just weeks ago, Dabi was hailed for Barmer's water conservation triumph, positioning Rajasthan in the top three states nationally. Now, #StandWithTinaDabi trends alongside the mockery, with Bahujan voices insisting: She's no "reel star" – she's a role model enduring systemic sabotage. The debate rages: Free speech vs. administrative overreach? Caste bias vs. accountability? For now, Dabi's poise shines through.