Achi news desk-
Last Updated: March 25, 2024, 10:00 IST
Holi is one of the most prominent Hindu festivals. (Image Credit: YouTube/@UnderTheSameSkye)
Under the guise of celebrations, many people put color or throw water balloons over strangers who are not willing to participate. For a long time now, women’s rights groups have highlighted how harassment is punished during Holi by using the old saying “Bura na mano Holi hai”.
Holi is undoubtedly one of the most prominent Hindu festivals. It is celebrated with much pomp and show in many parts of North India. However, under the guise of celebrations, many people give color or throw water balloons over strangers who are not willing to participate. For a long time now, women’s rights groups have highlighted how harassment is punished during Holi by using the old saying “Bura na mano Holi hai”. The culture of drinking bhang, an edible preparation made from cannabis leaves, leads to accidents caused by intoxication. , fighting, and hooliganism Such things tarnish the celebrations of those who celebrate Holi responsibly.
Here are five instances when Holi celebrations crossed a line in India:
1- A video went viral on X which showed two men standing through the sunroof of a Kia car, and throwing water balloons at unsuspecting pedestrians. This video was taken by someone who was driving behind this car. When the perpetrators noticed they were being recorded, they tried to aim a water balloon at the person recording them. A user X named Sneha Singh shared this video and tagged Delhi police and traffic police in the post. The video was taken at Vasant Kunj in Delhi on March 16, 2024.
2- A video from Dhampur in Uttar Pradesh went viral which showed a group of men following two burkha clad women and continuously pelting them with colorful water balloons. The older woman takes her chappal so she can move faster and escape the hooligans. One of the hooligans shot this video and uploaded it on his social media.
This video has been posted on Instagram by a young man named Prashant with the caption “Happy Holi”. When I researched this video, I found that it is from Bhagat Singh intersection of Dhampur (Bijnor) where the forced laborers were deliberately harassed and it is forcefully bathed in colour! pic.twitter.com/i2Kw6i2Zco— Zakir Ali Tyagi (@ZakirAliTyagi) March 9, 2023
3- A video had tarnished India’s image as a global tourist destination after it showed a group of men cornering a Japanese woman, forcibly painting her and groping her in Delhi’s Paharganj area. One man smashes an egg over her head. This video provoked a lot of anger. Swati Maliwal, former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women issued a notice to the Delhi police to examine the video and arrest the culprits. Delhi police arrested three boys, including a youth, for groping and harassing the woman.
4- In 2020, a travel vlogger named Skye shared a video on YouTube titled ‘Sexual Assault during Holi Festival In Varanasi.’ In the video, she shared how men forcefully color her and touch her inappropriately. In the aftermath of the video, she wrote that she had been advised not to venture out during Holi but she disregarded this advice and went out only to regret the decision. Skye wrote, “After 2 minutes outside I was sexually assaulted.” He added, “In India, the pictures you see of foreigners enjoying the Holi festival are usually taken inside the hostel grounds, where they host a party for their guests.”
5- In March 2022, a 22-year-old man was stabbed to death and his 20-year-old brother was injured by a group of men after a fight broke out over the playing of loud music during Holi celebrations in East Punjabi Bagh in Delhi. Six men were arrested and booked for murder and voluntarily causing hurt, police said.
