Tina Dabi’s Instagram comments section has been flooded with comments calling her a “Reel star” after college students in Rajasthan’s Barmer alleged they were arrested for using the same epithet for the IAS officer.
The context
On Saturday, some students staged a protest outside Multanmal Bhikhchand Chhajed Women’s College to protest against a hike in examination fee. According to a DNA report, the students sought a meeting with Dabi, who is currently serving as the District Collector of Barmer.
The students blocked a road during their sit-in protest, demanding a meeting with the IAS officer. Police later “arrested” two students and took them to the Kotwali police station, citing concerns over public order, India Today reported.
However, Tina Dabi has rubbished these claims, saying no student was arrested or even detained.
The ‘Reel star’ row
The situation escalated when one official said that Dabi is a “role model” for students.
Some students, linked to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), did not agree with this.
{{/usCountry}}Some students, linked to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), did not agree with this.
{{/usCountry}}“The Collector is not a role model. If she were, she would have come here to listen to the demands of the students. She is a reel star, goes everywhere to make reels, but does not pay attention to our problems,” they said, according to an NDTV report.
Tina Dabi’s statement
In a written statement to NDTV, IAS Tina Dabi rubbished claims that students were arrested. She said that students were taken to a police station and allowed to leave after a couple of hours.
“No one ever got arrested or even detained. Some students, despite the fee hike issue being resolved, were blocking the road and trying to create a nuisance. They were taken to a police station by my subordinates for talks and cooling down. They then left two hours later, and the issue on the ground was dead," the IAS officer said in a written statement to NDTV.
“The issue is alive only on social media. What is running on social media is just to malign and get some cheap publicity,” she added.
‘Reel star’ comments
Ever since the incident unfolded on Saturday, Tina Dabi’s Instagram comments section has been filled with comments calling her a “Reel star”.
The IAS officer used to maintain an active presence on Instagram, where she has 1.5 million followers. However, her last post dates back to 2023. That post has more than 3,000 comments, many from her critics.
Hundreds of the comments under the post simply read “Reel star”.
(Also read: IAS Tina Dabi bows her head before BJP leader '5 times in 7 seconds.' Viral video sparks debate)