An Indian author’s social media post about empathy and discrimination abroad ended up drawing widespread criticism after she revealed she withdrew an offer of food to a fellow traveller the moment she found out he was from Pakistan.

Nivedita Shukla, Dublin-based author of The Momentos of Runjh, wrote on X that she was at Frankfurt Airport for a 10-hour layover when she noticed a man she believed was struggling financially. She said that she approached him with food she had packed, asking in Hindi whether he had come from Dublin to which he replied yes. When she asked where he was headed, he answered: “Karachi, Paxtaan!” She wrote that she turned around and walked back to her seat, ending the post with “Jaa mar” a phrase that means “go and die.”

The post, which began as a reflection on the discrimination Indians face abroad, quickly drew backlash largely from Indian users themselves.

“You spent three paragraphs being hurt that people judge you by your passport. Then you judged a hungry man by his passport. You’re not the victim of prejudice in this story. You’re the example of it,” one user wrote.

Another said, “This is the reason why ‘we’ are facing hatred and suffering. Many Indians like you have hatred filled in yourself either due to extremist political campaigning or your upbringing.”

Several others made the same connection between her complaint about anti-Indian sentiment and her own conduct. “I mean. You are being hated for the exact attitude and mindset your tweet is reflecting,” one commenter noted.

One person wrote, “Every accusation is a confession.”

Others were more direct. “What a low life u r,” one post read, while another called it “the audacity to point out racism at one end and then doing racism and hatred with a Pakistani.”

A number of Pakistani users also responded. “I have NEVER heard a Pakistani say or do anything like this to an Indian. Why is your heart diseased?” one netizen asked. Another added, “You proved the point of hatred. No one from India who comes to Pakistan gets treated like this.”

One user framed it as a broader pattern: “Naah, I wouldn’t have done that to the white man we all are Jeets. There have been Indians who betrayed me and Pakis who helped me, so once you go out of India, you should not take these limiting beliefs with you.”

“I’m so glad people from your own country and religion are calling you out for your racism and disgusting act,” another wrote.