Singer Chinmayi Sripaada slams trolls for targeting KBC Junior contestant, writes, "What a horrible bunch of bullies..."

A recent episode of Junior Kaun Banega Crorepati has set off a storm of reactions on social media, with a young contestant becoming the target of widespread trolling for his behaviour on the show. The incident has sparked an intense debate over how adults treat children online, and playback singer Chinmayi Sripada has stepped in to call out the hate.

After clips from the episode went viral, some viewers labelled the contestant “rude” and “arrogant” for interrupting host Amitabh Bachchan and speaking assertively during the quiz. Others argued that he was simply confident and excited, as any child would be in front of one of India’s biggest film icons.

Amid the growing wave of negativity, Chinmayi Sripaada took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to strongly condemn the trolling. Reacting to a viral post that mocked the child, she wrote, “An adult putting a tweet saying ‘most hated kid’? Adults here on Twitter have been one of the most lousy, foul-mouthed, abusive lot; none of these voices said a thing when kids died due to a cough syrup. But yeah, pick on a kid. Says a LOT about the ecosystem. This entire lot is picking on one over-excited kid — what a horrible bunch of bullies they’ve raised themselves to be.”

Her statement struck a chord online, with many echoing her sentiment that online users often cross the line between critique and cruelty — especially when minors are involved. Several users also pointed out that reality television often amplifies a child’s nervous energy or excitement, which can be misinterpreted by audiences as arrogance.