A 25-year-old tourist whose confrontation with security personnel in Ladakh went viral has apologised to the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and Ladakh Police, saying she lost her temper after being made to wait for around six hours during a road closure.
Speaking to NDTV and CNN-News18, the woman said she did not know that the area was highly sensitive because of its proximity to the border. She said she became frustrated after waiting for hours without access to basic facilities such as washrooms.
“I accept my mistake because if there was VIP movement, I should have understood that there must have been a reason for keeping us there for six hours,” she said. “I did not know that the area was so sensitive.”
Tourist Says Viral Video Did Not Show Full Context
The incident reportedly took place near the Minimarg checkpost in the Dras area around Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26. According to Ladakh Police, movement on the Minimarg-Zoji La-Sonamarg road had been restricted due to security arrangements.
In the viral video, the woman can be seen questioning security personnel and saying, “We are Gen Z. We will not tolerate this nonsense.”
She also questioned why some people, including a minister, had apparently been allowed to pass while other tourists remained stopped.
However, the woman claimed the widely circulated clip did not show what had happened before the confrontation. She said the group had already been waiting for several hours when tensions rose.
“After waiting another hour, bringing our total wait time to six hours, we heard shouting from the front. It seemed like a fight had broken out between the army, the local police, and the public,” she said.
She claimed that several tourists, including families with children, were worried about missing flights, hotel bookings and onward travel.
‘Whatever I Said Was Very Wrong’
The tourist admitted that her remarks were inappropriate but said they were made out of frustration and were not intended as an insult to the Army.
“Whatever I said in frustration was not right at all. It was very wrong,” she said.
She also clarified her remarks about taxpayers and government employees’ salaries, saying they were directed at the local police rather than the Army.
“I was talking about taxes, but I was not talking about the Indian Army. That statement was for the police,” she said.
She said she respected the armed forces and understood their role in protecting the country.
“If we are sleeping peacefully in our homes, we know that the Indian Army is serving us at the borders,” she said. “I know that what I said in frustration was wrong.”
Apology to Army and Police
The woman said she was deeply distressed by the backlash after the video spread online and claimed that the media attention became overwhelming.
“I became very scared because the media started pursuing me,” she alleged, adding that she had temporarily left the house where she was staying because of the harassment.
She said she approached the police and cyber police after the controversy and complained about what she described as misleading circulation of the video.
“I am sorry because I should not have said it. For this, I apologise to you, to the public and to the Army,” she said. “I am deeply ashamed of what I said and I sincerely apologise to the entire country and my Indian Army brothers.”
Why She Said ‘We Are Gen Z’
The tourist also explained her use of the phrase “We are Gen Z”, which became one of the most discussed parts of the video.
“I am a 25-year-old girl. Gen Z came out of my mouth because I had been seeing the term Gen Z everywhere on Instagram,” she said.
She insisted that she was not trying to make a political statement or represent the wider Gen Z generation.
Reflecting on the incident, she said people should be more careful while speaking to security personnel and government officials.
“We should always control our anger and be careful about where and what we are saying,” she said. “Just because we are Gen Z does not mean that we can stand anywhere and speak to the Indian Army, police or any government worker in this manner.”
She maintained that she regretted her behaviour but continued to believe that the viral clip did not capture the complete sequence of events.
