A woman’s evening walk inside her residential society turned into a disturbing experience when a seven-year-old boy allegedly passed obscene remarks at her. Narrating the incident through an Instagram video, she explained that the boy first called her “O laal pari” as she was wearing a red top and a skirt. At first, she was too shocked to respond, but the situation escalated when the boy later shouted again, asking her, “Kon hain tu, chalegi kya?”, a phrase commonly used by men on the streets to harass women.
What made the matter worse was the reaction of the society’s security guard who was seen giggling at the remarks instead of intervening seriously. The woman said that this discouraged her from confronting the child immediately. Eventually when she reacted, the guard asked the boy to apologise. However, the child gave a half-hearted “sorry” and immediately ran away.
Sharing her ordeal online, the woman, identified as Kiran Grewal, said that what disturbed her the most was not just the words of a young child, but the larger reality that children learn by mimicking what they see and hear around them. She stressed that such incidents should not be dismissed as innocent jokes or “masti”. If left unchecked, they can shape toxic attitudes that carry forward into adulthood. In her words, “A child does not invent such words. Instead he copies them. If not corrected, this so-called fun becomes harassment.”
According to her, instead of showing concern, the security guard trivialised the incident by defending the boy saying he belonged to a good family and did not mean to offend. This response angered the woman even more as she felt that it reflected society’s tendency to make excuses for harassment when the offender is “too young” or supposedly from a “respectable” background.
Her video quickly went viral and triggered widespread outrage. Many people condemned the incident and said it highlighted not only the lack of accountability in housing societies but also the role of parents in teaching children about respect and boundaries. Social media users urged her to immediately speak to the boy’s parents and make them aware so that this behaviour could be corrected before it turned into a habit.
Several also expressed their sadness that the woman felt the need to show what she was wearing before describing the incident, saying it shows how society often forces women to justify themselves rather than questioning the conduct of the perpetrator. Others wrote that the matter was not just about an individual experience but a reflection of a deeper social problem where harassment is normalised in the name of light-hearted fun.
