What began as a quiet evening stroll for a woman in her residential society turned into a disturbing experience when she was allegedly eve-teased, not by a grown man, but by a seven-year-old boy.

The woman, identified as Kiran Grewal, took to Instagram to narrate the incident in a video post that has since sparked outrage and debate.

Dressed in a red top and skirt, Kiran said she was casually walking in her society when the young boy suddenly called out to her: “O laal pari, chalegi kya?” (Red fairy, will you come with me?). Startled at first, she chose not to react. But when she passed him again, the child shouted: “Kaun hain tu, chalegi kya?” (Who are you? Will you come with me?).

Adding to her discomfort, the society’s security guard reportedly giggled at the remarks, leaving her feeling unsafe and reluctant to respond. Kiran eventually confronted the boy, after which the guard asked him to apologise. The child muttered a half-hearted “sorry” before running away.

Sharing her experience online, Kiran wrote:

“While on my walk inside my own society, a 6-7-year-old boy called out to me: ‘O laal pari, chalegi kya?’ The same line grown men use to harass women on the streets. Everyone around laughed, even the security guard. But I didn’t find it funny. Because this is where it begins. A child doesn’t invent such words, he hears them, sees them, and copies them. If not corrected, this masti becomes harassment.”

She further expressed concern over the guard’s response, who reportedly tried to dismiss the incident by saying the boy belonged to a “good family” and was “just joking”.

Calling out this attitude, Kiran wrote: “It’s not. It’s a reflection of what we normalize in our homes, our movies, our streets. Children must be taught respect. Not just for women, but for every human being. Because if we dismiss it saying ‘kids are kids’, tomorrow it won’t just be words — it’ll be actions. Eve-teasing is NOT entertainment. It is harassment. And it starts earlier than we think.”