Mumbai: A woman at the centre of a social media storm has issued an emotional apology after an audio clip of her verbally abusing a CRPF jawan over a loan dispute went viral. In a fresh recording, the woman, identified online as Anuradha Varma, pleaded for forgiveness, saying her words were spoken in frustration and not intended to insult the Armed Forces.
“Actually, sir, I don’t even know how all this happened, what was the frustration, what was the anger, what was the pressure of the family, what was the pressure of work,” she said in the apology clip. “I made a mistake unknowingly… I had no such intention to hurt the soldiers of the country. Please forgive me for the mistakes I made. If you want to punish me, you can do it, but don’t send me such bad messages.” She added that she was “very ashamed” for having used “bad words for the army” and again requested, “Please forgive me from the bottom of my heart.”
The controversy erupted after a shocking phone conversation surfaced online, where the woman could be heard hurling derogatory remarks at a CRPF officer. In the viral audio, she allegedly said, “You are uneducated, that’s why you have been sent to the border… That’s why your children are born disabled.” She went on to call him a “beggar living on loans” and mocked his service, daring him to “do whatever you want.”
The incident quickly drew outrage, with users on X demanding her immediate dismissal. Some even termed her remarks “anti-national” and “an insult to the dignity of soldiers.”
Amid the backlash, there were claims on social media that she belonged to HDFC which the bank later rejected. The HDFC Bank has issued a clarification after multiple posts claimed Varma worked with the bank.
"We would like to clarify that this individual is not an employee of HDFC Bank. The conduct heard in the clip is neither acceptable nor does it reflect our values as an organisation,” the bank said in a statement.
