Students Call Tina Dabi ‘Reel Star’ Not Role Model !

Students at a women’s college in Barmer, Rajasthan, sparked a controversy after calling District Collector Tina Dabi a “reel star” during a protest against a fee hike. The remark went viral and led to police action, sit-in protests, and political reactions.

What is the issue:

Students of Maharana Bhupal College for Girls were protesting a sharp rise in examination fees. They said the hike would hurt students from poor families. During the protest, when a government official called Tina Dabi a role model, some student leaders replied that she was not their role model but a “reel star”. They said they looked up to historical figures like Ahilyabai Holkar and Rani Durgavati.
After this comment, police took a few student leaders to the police station. This angered other students, who then marched to the Kotwali police station and sat there in protest, demanding their release. Later, reports said the police admitted the situation was not handled well and even apologised.

The arrest of students for expressing their views is deeply condemnable and strikes at the very core of democratic values. When police officials asked the protesting girls to speak to the Collector, IAS Tina Dabi, referring to her as a “real star,” ABVP students clearly responded… pic.twitter.com/xrfxxiievz
— ABVP (@ABVPVoice) December 22, 2025

Tina Dabi’s response:

Tina Dabi said that no one was arrested or detained for the comment. She explained that students were only taken briefly to the police station to calm things down and maintain order. She added that no case was filed and everyone was released soon. Calling it social media hype, she said the issue was being made bigger just for publicity.

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Tina Dabi background:

Tina Dabi is a senior IAS officer and currently the District Collector of Barmer. She topped the UPSC civil services exam in 2015 and is known for her work in Rajasthan. She is also active on social media, where she shares updates from her district.

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