New Delhi: A 25-year old tourist at the centre of a viral video from Ladakh said she has been left “depressed” and frightened after the backlash against her on social media, which turned into personal attacks on her appearance. Some social media users called her names, compared her to animals, and said she deserved to be slapped.
The controversy, which began with a six-hour wait at a checkpoint in Ladakh, turned into a national controversy after the video showed the woman arguing with security personnel.
“We all are Gen Zs. We will not tolerate this nonsense,” she said.
The remark drew criticism from military veterans and others, who said she had disrespected the armed forces and made light of security protocols. As the video spread, the criticism soon moved beyond her conduct at the checkpoint and became personal.
Days after the video went viral, she apologised to the Army and police and said the clip did not show the full context of what had happened. She added that the clip being circulated was a month old.
“I respect the Indian Army so much. I could never dream that they would feel bad because of something that I said,” she told NDTV.
The incident began with a road closure near Minimarg in Kargil during a VIP movement around Kargil Vijay Diwas. Travellers were stopped for several hours, with some waiting for three to four hours and others nearly six.
Also read: Mumbai’s 98-year-old Radio Club loses license over kitchen hygiene lapses
Personal attacks
The backlash against the woman soon escalated into body-shaming. On social media, some users began targeting her appearance, body, and clothes, turning this debate over security protocols into personal abuse.
One comment said, “Instead of lecturing the Army, maybe she should work on her fitness first; discipline starts at home.”
The comments became increasingly abusive. One X user wrote, “The Gen Z pig has now started crying on mainstream media.”
Another said, “Don’t make this Golgappa a celebrity… she deserved to be slapped there and then.”
Other users mocked her use of the term Gen Z, while one post suggested she should prove her claim of wanting equal treatment by competing in a physical exercise with an older officer.
Some posts also compared her to a hippo and a bull, while others used terms such as “Dimagi Naxals” to insult her. The abuse went far beyond questioning what she said or whether she should have challenged the security personnel.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)