Shrestha Iyer, sister of cricketer Shreyas Iyer, has recently revealed the harrowing experiences she endured following a viral social media post. Shrestha was a contestant on the Netflix reality show Lock Upp 2, where she became the first participant to be evicted. Since her exit, she has appeared on several podcasts and interviews to share details about her time on the show and the severe personal challenges she has faced recently.
The Terrifying Reality of Online Trolling
During a podcast with Siddharth Kannan, Shrestha became visibly emotional while recounting the intense trolling she faced during the IPL 2026 season. She explained that a single video led to an avalanche of hate, including explicit threats of rape and death. At that time, she was living alone in Dubai, which only exacerbated the fear and isolation she felt while dealing with the public backlash.
The Context Behind the Viral Video
Addressing the controversy, Shrestha clarified that her intention in making the video during a match between Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders was never to cause harm or insult anyone. She stated that she was merely celebrating her brother's victory and attempting to imitate the regional accent of people from Punjab in a playful manner. She described Punjabis as warm-hearted and expressive people, noting that she was trying to add a creative touch to her reel, but KKR fans misinterpreted the content, resulting in a massive wave of negativity.
Escalation to Workplace Harassment
The harassment reached a point where it infiltrated her professional life. Shrestha revealed that unknown individuals would call her workplace in Dubai at 3:00 AM to smear her reputation. These callers would question her colleagues about how they could work with such a person, claiming she was a bad influence. She also mentioned that attackers threatened to perform black magic on her and destroy her life completely, illustrating the extreme lengths to which the online hate had escalated.
Mental Toll and Safety Concerns
The constant bombardment of abuse took a severe toll on her mental well-being. Shrestha shared that she received messages warning her that if she ever visited Kolkata, she would not be allowed to return alive. To protect her mental health, she was forced to disable the comment section on her social media platforms. Reflecting on the trauma, she questioned whether a simple video truly justified such extreme hatred. She emphasized that recovering from this experience was a slow process, made significantly harder by the fact that she was handling these threats entirely on her own while living abroad.
