Caste, Chaos, and a Camera: When Influencers Become the Story

A protest at Delhi University became a flashpoint for one of India’s deepest and most unresolved tensions — caste. A YouTuber who calls herself a “Brahmin Reporter” walked in, and nothing stayed peaceful for long. What followed was assault allegations, a mob, rival hashtags, and a university-wide ban on protests. Beneath the chaos lies a question India cannot avoid: whose voices get to be heard, and at what cost?

On February 13, a public meeting at the University of Delhi on the University Grants Commission Equity bill saw professors discussing how caste affects university spaces. Ruchi Tiwari, a YouTuber, reaches the venue and gets into a physical altercation with Naveen Kumar Nandan, a journalist working for Bamcef News. A video depicting the incident features Ruchi Tiwari trying to grab the Bamcef News journalist’s phone by force. “When several people intervened, Ruchi Tiwari grabbed the AISA DU Secretary by the face and threw her down,” says Abhigyan Ramjas, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) Delhi State President.

Students prevented Ruchi Tiwari from fleeing the venue and demanded the police present there take her away, citing the physical altercation she caused, but the police did not intervene. “The Right wing is propagating a video which shows the DU students holding Ruchi Tiwari and taking her to the police as the physical assault. She was not assaulted!” Abhigyan Ramjas told OBC. The AISA representatives from the DU went to the Maurice Nagar Police Station to file a complaint against Ruchi Tiwari. According to Abhigyan, they were targeted by a mob of around forty individuals with slogans such as “Brahmanwad Zindabad” and “Goli Maro Saalon Ko”. Abhigyan added that the mob raised derogatory and misogynistic comments on the AISA DU Secretary Anjali, “you were trying to be a leader, right ? Now remove your clothes. This was the language the mob used against Anjali”, says Abhgyan Ramjas. He further told OBC that they were kept in captivity in the Police station for at least four hours because of the mob. The FIRs were filed based on the complaints  from both parties at the Maurice Nagar Police Station and were summoned on February 17.

The UGC Bill to curtail discrimination

On January 13, 2026, the University Grants Commission introduced a bill that enforces stricter anti-discrimination measures on college campuses and mandates equal opportunities for SC, ST, OBC, and minority students by introducing mandatory Equity Committees, 24/7 helplines, and, crucially, strict liability for institutions. However, the Supreme Court stayed the bill, followed by the stiff resistance raised by the upper-caste student groups and organizations, including Savarna Sena, All Bihar Students Union (ABSU), and Savarna Ekta Manch. These organisations protested against the bill, citing that the promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations was biased, could lead to the harassment of upper-caste students, and would increase caste conflicts.

On February 13, student groups advocating for the enforcement of the new UGC bill held a demonstration at the University of Delhi (commonly referred to as Delhi University (DU)) to oppose the Supreme Court ruling. Soon, the reports about tensions during the protests, along with the allegations of an influencer being assaulted by the protesting students, surfaced online. The student organisations denied the assault, stating that a YouTuber posing as a journalist incited violence while the students were peacefully protesting. Netizens also widely shared a video that allegedly shows a DU student raising the slogan “Brahmanwad Zindabad” in support of the influencer.

The Alleged Assault

Ruchi Tiwari, a YouTuber/Influencer known for controversial content, claimed that on February 13, a mob of around 500 individuals questioned her caste and assaulted her on the DU campus while covering the protests. She also stated that the mob attempted to murder her because of her caste. Based on her statement, the Delhi Police registered an FIR.

Who is Ruchi Tiwari?

Ruchi Tiwari runs a YouTube channel called Breaking Opinion. The channel’s description suggests it brings out the true voice of people from every corner of India, catering to viewers with opinions from youth, farmers, women, professionals, and ordinary citizens across every state. In the thumbnails of multiple videos, she refers to herself as a “Brahmin Reporter.”

We examined the YouTube channel and discovered that the channel, created on June 24, 2025, features videos of Ruchi Tiwari indulging in provocative reporting without following the ethical norms of field reporting. The channel also shared several videos that indicate a strong right-wing bias.

A series of videos uploaded on February 11 features Ruchi Tiwari approaching a group of protesters protesting in support of new UGC rules. The title of the video reads, “Misbehaviour with female journalist during SC/ST protest.” The video shows her asking one of the protesters why he believes the new UGC rules should be implemented. He responded, “The new rules are about equality for SC/ST and OBC students.” Taking a jibe at the statement, she remarked, “If you want equality, then give up the reservation.” A The video goes on to show Ruchi Tiwari aggressively asking the protester to say that they don’t need Araskhshan. When the protestor refused to obey, she is heard saying, “Look, look, look, they will never claim that they oppose the reservation. They desire the reservation, and at the same time, they are insisting that communalism should cease, accusing Brahmins of practicing communalism.”

In the video, Ruchi TIwari alleges that the SC/ST protestors are talking about age-old discriminations the lower caste experienced from the upper caste, and it is not relevant to present times.

Ruchi Tiwari and the hashtag war that she sparked

#ArrestRuchiTiwari

Following the tensions, two hashtags, #ArrestRuchiTiwari and #JusticeForRuchiTiwari, emerged on the social media site X (previously known as Twitter). Several users dismissed Ruchi Tiwari’s allegation of communal harassment and physical assault. Many users also shared a video that shows the influencer grabbing and throwing a female protester to the ground. Ruchi Tiwari later suggested in a video that the female protester purposely fell to the ground when she tried to move her aside.

An X post shared the video with the caption, “I demand the arrest of ‘Ruchi Tiwari,’ who poisoned society by infiltrating a peaceful Bahujan Samaj protest and assaulting one of our sisters.” The user also tagged the official X account, suggesting that the casteist groups are deliberately trying to incite violence by sending women to the protests.

Many netizens responded to the post demanding an immediate arrest of Ruchi Tiwari. At the same time, there are people who supported her as well. Extending support to the influencer, a user replied, “If a Dalit talks about their caste, it is social justice, if a Yadav talks about their caste, it is socialism, and if a Meena talks about their caste, it is Naturalism. But, when Brahmin speaks up, then it is perceived as ‘Manuism’!”

Several others used the hashtag #ArrestRuchiTiwari,claiming that Ruchi Tiwari intentionally incited the non-violent demonstrators to undermine the protest in favor of the UGC bill.

A user shared the clips from the YouTube channel Breaking Opinion and stated that Ruchi Tiwari is not a professional Journalist, rather a right-wing YouTuber who has previously mocked daits and others who are underprivileged.

#JusticeForRuchiTiwari

The Netizens used the hashtag  #JusticeForRuchiTiwari to condemn the alleged physical assault. We identified that the hashtag originated from the account Omkar Singh, whose X bio reads, “Voice of EWS & General Category.” On February 13, the user shared a photo of Ruchi Tiwari with a Hindi caption that translates to “If we remain silent even after a girl is attacked, then tomorrow we will lose the right to stand up for any issue. Today it’s Ruchi Tiwari, tomorrow it will be someone else. Raise your voice against violence. Everyone, use this hashtag: #JusticeForRuchiTiwari.”

The user also tagged another account, EWS ARMY, which has a following of 19,700 followers, in order to amplify the hashtag. A user responded, “Why just raise your voice? Why not weapons? Amidst the crowd of these people, there was a communist lady who had even been to jail before. 15-20 Brahmins should reach her office and perform the “ritual” of the office with the chant of Jai Shri Parashuram. This might make these people understand a bit quicker.”

On February 14, a call was made to promote the hashtag #Justice_For_रूचि_तिवारी by the X user Brahmin Sahib, highlighting that Ruchi Tiwari was assaulted by students from DU. The user posted a video showing female DU students attempting to bring Ruchi Tiwari to the nearest police station for disturbing the peaceful protest, stating that it shows the assault.

Who is the “DU student” who shouted “Brahmanwad Zindabad” ?

On February 14, a journalist (according to the X bio) shared a video that purportedly shows DU students raising the slogan “Brahmanwad Zindabad’ showing solidarity to Ruchi Tiwari.

The video features a woman leading the small gathering by raising the slogan.

A X user identified that the woman seen in the video is not a DU student, but rather another YouTuber, Megha Lawariya.

Another user on February 14 shared photos of Ruchi Tiwari and Megha Lawariya with the caption, “Megha Lawariya and Ruchi Tiwari allegedly infiltrated the UGC protest and behaved aggressively toward Bahujan students, making disrespectful remarks about Babasaheb Ambedkar and reservation policies and Rights. They reportedly tried to provoke violence, mocked Bahujan students.”

DU Bans Protests for a Month

On February 18, in the wake of the recent confrontation during a protest, Delhi University has prohibited all demonstrations and gatherings on its campuses for a period of one month, citing concerns over traffic disruption and public safety. Student and faculty organisations condemned the decision, calling it undemocratic and an attempt to suppress dissent.

The analysis reveals how the tensions and the significant event involving YouTubers that took place at DU University shaped an online narrative opposing supporters of the UGC Bill.