India, April 24 -- A woman from Dhanbad has sparked widespread criticism online after posting a video of her young son appearing visibly distressed while doing his homework. Rather than offering comfort, the mother, Saloni Agarwal, is heard making sarcastic comments, which many viewers have described as deeply insensitive.

The now-viral clip shows the boy pleading with his mother, saying, "Meri saans atak atak ke chal rahi hai (I'm unable to breathe properly)," while Saloni responds dismissively, "You were breathing fine while playing earlier."

Saloni uploaded the video to Instagram with a caption suggesting her son's actions were just "nautanki" (drama ) seemingly implying he was faking distress to avoid studies.

However, viewers were...