Video of The Great Khali lifting world’s shortest woman up by one hand sparks heated debate

A video of wrestler The Great Khali picking up the world's shortest woman has triggered backlash on social media for his "misconduct".

Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh Rana, is a retired professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He was the first Indian professional wrestler in WWE, at one stage challenging John Cena for the World Championship title.

In a video uploaded to his Instagram page, Rana can be seen lifting 30-year-old Jyoti Amge with one hand and swinging her back and forth before making her sit on his lap. The video, uploaded over the weekend, has garnered over 134 million views.

In another video, Ms. Amge can be seen saying she "is feeling nice" before the wrestler lifts her up and swings her again. She giggles and laughs as Khali asks her, "Are you feeling scared?" to which she replies, "Yes."

A number of people responding to the Instagram video have questioned whether it is appropriate to interact with a 30-year-old woman in this manner.

"She is a grown woman, is it okay to hold her like that?" asked one Instagram user.

"This looks very uncomfortable and highly objectionable. It seems as if she is just a toy to him...," commented user Shruti Giri.

"Why is he picking her up? Isn't this woman an adult? Don't think this should make anyone laugh," wrote another person.

Ms. Amge was named the shortest woman in the world by the Guinness World Records in 2011, with her diminutive stature being due to a growth disorder called achondroplasia. Born in 1993 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Ms. Amge stands at 2 feet 0.6 inches tall. She has been a contestant on the popular Indian reality TV series “Big Boss” and featured in season 4 of "American Horror Story."

The WWE website lists Rana as being 7 foot 1 inch tall (2.16m). In 2022, he announced he was joining India’s ruling BJP party and has been campaigning for Narendra Modi to win a rare third term at the ongoing general elections.