A 25-year-old woman, whose video of shouting and creating a ruckus at the Minimarg checkpoint in Kargil, Ladakh, has now apologised to the Indian Army, saying that she "respects" the armed forces a lot.
The woman told NDTV that the video clip is not correct, claiming that it is from a month ago, and alleged that her words have been portrayed in a "bad light".
In a video that went viral on social media, the woman could be heard arguing with checkpoint officers and security personnel over having to wait for long hours due to VIP movement in the region. She was heard saying, "We are Gen Zs... we will not tolerate this nonsense."
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Clarifying her stance, the woman told the news channel that the video was from a month ago and alleged that it was now being circulated to defame her.
{{/usCountry}}Clarifying her stance, the woman told the news channel that the video was from a month ago and alleged that it was now being circulated to defame her.
{{/usCountry}}"I respect the Indian army so much. I could never dream that they would feel bad because of something that I said," the woman said.
Explaining what happened on the day, she said her group was travelling from Ladakh to Delhi, adding that they were unaware of any VIP movement on that route. "We waited for three to four hours in the morning, and when we asked a soldier how much longer it would be, he said, another hour," he added.
According to the woman, the road remained closed even after an additional hour. The woman said they had to wait for a total of six hours. At this time, according to her, a fight had seemingly erupted between the army, the local police, and the public.
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"We were far behind, but went forward to see. I got caught in the middle of it and said, 'I am a patient, and I'm having a lot of problems. We've been stuck for six hours, unable to use the washroom or do anything because of your VIP movement. We are getting very frustrated. We pay taxes, we do everything. So why is this happening to us?" she told NDTV.
However, she once again reiterated her regret over the remarks, saying what she said in a fit of anger and frustration was “wrong.”
What happened on the day?
The viral video, according to Ladakh Police, is from the time around Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, when the Minimarg-Zoji La-Sonamarg road was temporarily closed for security reasons.
The incident, involving the 25-year-old woman, took place near the Minimarg check point in the Dras area, where the travel route had been restricted.
As several travellers gathered in the area due to the restrictions, the woman was seen confronting security personnel, questioning them about why tourists had been stopped while VIP movement was allowed.
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A convoy of the defence minister and the Army chief was supposed to pass through the route, The Times of India had reported.
Officials had said that the two were scheduled to travel by air, but adverse weather conditions forced them to fly by helicopter to Gumri, from where they travelled by road towards Kargil.
While confronting the security personnel, the woman was heard saying that people travel to such places from far away and spend a significant sum of money on their trips, only to face "all this."
She was also heard telling them that they were tourists, not Kashmiris who, she said, were subjected to such behaviour. "We are Gen Zs... we will not tolerate this nonsense."
She alleged that no one at the checkpoint was taking any accountability.