SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has criticised a woman seen arguing with security personnel at a checkpoint in Ladakh, warning that invoking the ‘Gen Z’ label as a threat could quickly erode goodwill towards young people.Abdullah was reacting to a video circulating on social media in which a female tourist is heard telling security personnel, “We are Gen Z and we won’t tolerate this nonsense.”
‘The New jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai’
Sharing the video on X, Abdullah said, “This ‘we are Gen Z’ has become the new ‘jaantay nahin ho mera baap kaun hai’. The quickest way to erode any Gen Z goodwill is to start using it as a threat at the slightest perceived affront.”The video appears to show the woman arguing with security personnel at the Minimarg checkpoint in Ladakh’s Kargil region.
Tourists held up for hours
According to police sources, the incident took place on July 25, when traffic restrictions were imposed along the Zojila-Gumri route because of the movement of senior officials.A senior police official said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth were scheduled to travel by air. However, bad weather forced them to fly by helicopter to Gumri and then travel by road towards Kargil.Traffic was stopped to facilitate their movement, resulting in delays for tourists and other travellers, police sources said.
Woman stages dharna at checkpoint
In the video, the woman says the group had been made to wait for about five hours.“We pay from our pockets to visit and they are doing this to us. Earlier they used to do this to Kashmiris (only), now they are doing it with tourists as well,” she says.She then staged a dharna at the checkpoint and reportedly prevented even an Army convoy from proceeding towards a transit camp.District officials later intervened and convinced her to end the protest. Police sources said tourists were allowed to proceed after the VIP movement had passed.
Incident sparks criticism
The woman’s remarks and behaviour towards security personnel have drawn criticism, including from former Army officers who said her conduct towards men in uniform was uncalled for.The incident has also triggered a wider debate on social media over how tourists should respond to restrictions at sensitive border checkpoints.
Kargil Vijay Diwas events
The traffic restrictions came ahead of Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, when the region hosted commemorative events marking India’s victory in the 1999 Kargil War and paying tribute to soldiers who fought during Operation Vijay.
