Hyderabad: Hyderabad has sprung into a new debate: Should outsiders need permission to be allowed inside gated communities? And from whom? A video of a woman being asked to leave a gated community, allegedly for arbitrary reasons, has led people to ponder the stringency of visitor rules and whether private property means owners can treat ‘trespassers’ with indecency.
The video was originally posted by Instagram user vasanthi_singampalli, who is also a food blogger. In the caption, she recounts her experience, saying she had visited Aditya Heights, opposite Sarath City Mall in Kondapur, to meet her friends in the apartments after obtaining a valid gate pass.
However, she was stopped at the entrance and was confronted by the association president, saying that the apartment had introduced a new rule regarding visitors. According to the rule, only relatives are allowed to enter, and that too with valid proof of relationship, the post stated.
She alleged that the president asked the security to cancel her entry pass without a proper explanation or authority. She also claimed that the man in the video was very rude to her and was speaking in a tone “clearly meant to belittle and intimidate”.
“It did not feel like a conversation about rules, it felt like outright humiliation in front of everyone. At one point, I was so overwhelmed that I broke down, and instead of showing any basic empathy, he continued to mock me in front of the security guard, which was deeply hurtful and degrading,” the poster stated.
While comments on the original post are largely mocking the man in the video, saying “Uncle thinks he’s President of the country”, reposts of the video brought forth a group of people who support the president’s decision.
Many have slammed the president’s ‘entitlement’, saying “Every society has that one uncle who didn’t buy the building, but somehow acts like he built it, owns it, and runs it… full-time, unpaid, and unasked.” and “These buddhas (oldies) seem to be everywhere in Indian gated societies. They treat tenants and their guests with a certain attitude, but the moment you’re a property owner, their behaviour changes instantly.”
However, several people came forward in favour of the man in the video, saying ‘rules must be respected’. “But if a gated society has its specific rules, why not follow it?” said one X user under @DocRGM_’s repost of the video.
“He is concerned about the safety of residents and these kind of vigilant people are necessary in gated communities. She can call her friends living in the society and solve the issue. He doesn’t trust unknown ppl and that’s not harassment,” chimed in another.
One person questioned why only owners have the authority to grant permissions when he is the one paying rent. “Personal experience: My friend and his fiancée were shopping and called me around 11 PM — needed to crash at my flat since it was closer to their office. I said come, but society demanded an owner email right then. Owner didn’t pick up, so they had to book a hotel. I’m the one paying rent… yet the owner has to “grant permission”?
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Saleha Fatima | 
