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Anger in India as Japanese tourist seen molested on Delhi street during Holi

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A Japanese woman was sexually assaulted by a group of men during the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The young woman could be seen in a video being groped by five or six men who forcefully smeared her face with colours while screaming "happy Holi".

The video, now viral on Twitter, showed a man also smashing an egg on the woman's head as she got shoved around.

The woman could be heard saying "bye-bye" as she attempted to escape the crowd.

Eventually, the woman slapped another woman who tried to get hold of her while she went into a narrow ally.

The incident reportedly took place in the capital's Paharganj area.

The video has sparked outrage about women's safety during the spring festival, where women have often complained about being harassed and groped by men under the pretext of applying colours.

No complaint or call regarding any misbehaviour with any foreigner was received by the local police station, Delhi police said in a statement.

An email has been sent to the Japanese embassy for details of the woman seen in the video, the police added.

Authorities were trying to establish the identity of the men seen in the video through local intelligence, it added.

Swati Maliwal, the chair for Delhi Commission for Women, called the incident "completely shameful behaviour" and said she is issuing a notice to Delhi police to arrest the perpetrators.

“The women protesting the molestation and harassment during Holi is not defaming the religion or festival. The men who doing it, are. Go after them,” wrote Twitter user Priyashmita Guha.

In a separate incident, a 65-year-old woman in the eastern state of Jharkhand was beaten to death by a group of six people for allegedly stopping them from applying colours to her son.

The incident took place during Holi when the woman, identified as Bucchi Devi, got into an altercation with the group and stopped them from applying colours to her son Murari.

The mother and her son were thrashed by the group till the victims lost consciousness, the local police said. Murari woke up to find his mother lying dead, according to reports.

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Un-Holi: Outrage in India after men seen groping female tourist during festival

For at least 24 seconds, a rowdy mob of men and boys groped, shoved and humiliated a petite Japanese tourist on a street in New Delhi, on a day meant to mark Holi – the Hindu festival of colours and love.

A video of the incident, now viral on Twitter, is sparking outrage in India.

Two men and a minor were arrested on Saturday, as calls for police to take action grew.

The viral video shows a group of men and boys dousing the 22-year-old woman with coloured water and powder as they shouted, "happy Holi" – as is the tradition during Holi.

But they were also seen in the clip groping her, touching her chest and pushing her around, even as she tried to flee from them, saying repeatedly, "itai, itai", which is Japanese for "it hurts".

A boy was also seen in the video smashing an egg on her head.

The woman then slapped a man who tried to grab her chest, and then quickly ran into an alley.

The incident reportedly took place in Delhi's Paharganj area.

The victim was said to have flown to Bangladesh without filing a complaint.

Ms Swati Maliwal, chair of the Delhi Commission for Women, called the assault "completely shameful behaviour".

The National Commission for Women demanded that police conduct a "fair and time-bound investigation" into the incident, calling for "a detailed report".

"The women protesting (against) the molestation and harassment during Holi are not defaming the religion or festival. The men doing it are. Go after them," wrote Twitter user Priyashmita Guha.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Sain said all three arrested had admitted to being the ones assaulting the woman in the video.

But any action against them "would be decided on the merits and in accordance with the complaint by the girl, if any", he said.

The Japanese tourist said in a Twitter post on Friday that she was already in Bangladesh, and that she was "fine".

ALSO READ:  Five men wanted after gang rape of Indian teen in car

This article was first published in The Straits Times . Permission required for reproduction.

Outrage in India after video shows woman tourist groped during festival

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For at least 24 seconds, a rowdy mob of men and boys groped, shoved and humiliated a petite Japanese tourist on a street in New Delhi, on a day meant to mark Holi – the Hindu festival of colours and love.

A video of the incident, now viral on Twitter, is sparking outrage in India.

Two men and a minor were arrested on Saturday, as calls for police to take action grew.

The viral video shows a group of men and boys dousing the 22-year-old woman with coloured water and powder as they shouted, “happy Holi” – as is the tradition during Holi.

But they were also seen in the clip groping her, touching her chest and pushing her around, even as she tried to flee from them, saying repeatedly, “itai, itai”, which is Japanese for “it hurts”.

A boy was also seen in the video smashing an egg on her head.

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The woman then slapped a man who tried to grab her chest, and then quickly ran into an alley.

The incident reportedly took place in Delhi’s Paharganj area.

@DelhiPolice @ANI please check this video circulating online where goons are attacking a japanese tourist from Paharganj, decent hotel. She clearly was forced as she slapped at the end and this shows a very negative image of festival and country. pic.twitter.com/mhRUCa8dZw — Raj (@Sraj101) March 10, 2023

The victim was said to have flown to Bangladesh without filing a complaint.

Ms Swati Maliwal, chair of the Delhi Commission for Women, called the assault “completely shameful behaviour”.

The National Commission for Women demanded that police conduct a “fair and time-bound investigation” into the incident, calling for “a detailed report”.

“The women protesting (against) the molestation and harassment during Holi are not defaming the religion or festival. The men doing it are. Go after them,” wrote Twitter user Priyashmita Guha.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Sain said all three arrested had admitted to being the ones assaulting the woman in the video.

But any action against them “would be decided on the merits and in accordance with the complaint by the girl, if any”, he said.

The Japanese tourist said in a Twitter post on Friday that she was already in Bangladesh, and that she was “fine”.

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Japanese girl harassed, groped by group of men during Holi celebration, 3 nabbed

Shame: a video went viral on social media where a few male locals can be seen harassing and groping a japanese woman during the holi celebration..

Three accused including one juvenile have been apprehended by Delhi Police in the case so far. 

Group of men smeared colour on a foreigner

Delhi police said they have taken notice of the video and verifying whether it is of a recent incident or an old one. The video showed a group of men smearing colour on a foreigner, who seemed uncomfortable around them. It is also one of the men smashing an egg on her head. She can be heard saying "bye-bye" in the video.

Swati Maliwal issued a notice to Delhi Police

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal said she was issuing a notice to Delhi Police to examine the video and arrest the perpetrators. 'Very disturbing videos getting viral on social media showing sexual harassment with foreign nationals on Holi! I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour!' Maliwal tweeted.

National Commission for Women too tweeted drawing attention to the video. It asked Delhi Police to register an FIR in the matter. "@NCWIndia has taken cognizance. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @CPDelhi to immediately file FIR in the matter. NCW has also sought a fair and time-bound investigation in the matter. A detailed report must be apprised to the commission," the NCW tweeted.

Video posted on several digital platforms 

Police said the video attached to the tweet has been posted on several digital platforms. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Kumar Sain said the video is being analysed to ascertain the details. "Prima-facie, on the basis of the landmark seen in the video, seems to be from Paharganj. However, it is being verified on the ground whether any such incident took place in that area or the video is old," Sain said.

No complaint or call relating to misbehaving with a foreigner has been received at the Paharganj police station. The Japanese embassy was contacted and they said they don't have any information of any such incident, the DCP said. Police said their personnel have been asked to collect the details of Japanese nationals staying in Paharganj and also establish the identity of the people seen in the video through local intelligence.

Read all the Breaking News Live on indiatvnews.com and Get Latest English News & Updates from Delhi

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Japanese tourist molested on Delhi street says she ‘still loves everything about India’

She said India is a wonderful country, and that she cannot bring herself to hate it, despite her recent experience there.

Raul Dancel

The Straits Times

View all posts by Raul Dancel →

The Japanese tourist who was seen in the viral video said India “is a wonderful country”, and that she can’t bring herself to hate it. PHOTOS: @SRAJ101/TWITTER

March 14, 2023

NEW DELHI – A Japanese tourist who was seen in a viral video being molested by an unruly mob of men and boys on a street in New Delhi has said she holds no grudges over what happened to her, and that she still loves “everything about India”.

“I have been there many times on holiday, and it is a country brimming with charms,” the 22-year-old woman, identified in her social media accounts as Megumiko, said in a Twitter post.

“India and Japan will forever be ‘tomodachi’ (friends),” she said.

Megumiko, a spa manager from Osaka, said she was more traumatised by reactions to the incident than by what actually happened to her.

In the 24-second video, a rowdy group of men and boys can be seen dousing her with coloured water and powder on a street in Delhi’s Paharganj area last Wednesday as they shouted, “Happy Holi”, as is tradition during the Hindu festival of Holi.

But they were also groping her, touching her chest, and pushing her around, even as she tried to flee from them, telling them repeatedly, “itai, itai”, which is Japanese for “it hurts”.

A boy smashed an egg on her head.

She slapped a man who tried to grab her chest, and then quickly ran to an alley.

Megumiko said she was terrified after seeing that her tweet with the video was being retweeted and shared privately “beyond my imagination”.

“While it may be the opinion of a few people, I am not used to being criticised or threatened, and this became psychologically unbearable,” she said.

Megumiko said she was, for now, pausing all her social media accounts.

She said she was sorry that the video seemed to have put Holi and India under harsh scrutiny.

3月9日にインドのお祭り「ホーリー」中の動画をツイートしましたが、その後想像以上にRTやDMが増えて恐怖を覚え、ツイートを削除させていただきました。 動画を見て気分を害された方におかれましては、誠に申し訳ございません。 — 🇮🇳めぐみこ (@megumiko_india) March 11, 2023

Holi is celebrated in India to mark the beginning of spring after a long winter.

In the streets, the celebrations are often marked by ribald language and behaviour as it’s typically regarded as an “anything goes” holiday.

Megumiko said she knew the risks she was taking when she set out on that day, as all of India was celebrating Holi.

“I had heard it was very dangerous for a woman to go out alone during the daytime at the Holi festival,” she said.

She said she went out with 35 friends, thinking there was safety in numbers.

“Unfortunately, this kind of situation happened,” she added.

Megumiko said she was taking responsibility for the decisions she made that day.

Outrage in India after video shows woman tourist being groped in Delhi during Hindu festival MeToo protest rocks Indian wrestling She said she knew she and her friends were going to “one of the most unsafe places in India”.

But she also acknowledged that she went there willingly. “I participated in the festival,” she added.

She said she hopes people would understand that she “was not trying to convey the abnormalities and damages of the Holi festival”.

“I sincerely apologise for causing concern to many people through the videos and on Twitter. My original intent was to convey the positive and fun sides of India. But, in the end, I instead caused a lot of concern and anxiety in many ways, for which I apologise,” she added.

Still, she said she appreciated police efforts to check excesses that lead to violence during Holi, especially those targeting women.

“I anticipate that starting from next year’s Holi festival, harassment against women will decrease significantly.”

With additional reports from Walter Sim in Tokyo

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Original Holi fun, love India: Molested Japanese woman says she was terrified...

The japanese woman who was groped in delhi's paharganj area on holi narrated what happened and reiterated her love for india..

The Japanese woman who was groped by a gang of men in Delhi's Paharganj area on Holi -- the video of which went viral drawing condemnation -- apologised on Saturday to those who were offended by the video. In a long Twitter thread posted in Japanese, the woman narrated the incident and said that she loves India and believes that original Holi is a fun festival. The video came to light on Friday and three persons, including a juvenile, were apprehended in connection with the Holi incident. As the video went viral, the Japanese woman on Friday said she already left India and reached Bangladesh and would narrate what happened to her.

On Saturday, she posted that she originally posted the video but was terrified when the video started to go viral and then deleted it. "We sincerely apologize to those who were offended by the video," the woman wrote in Japanese.

The Japanese woman wrote that she heard that it was dangerous for a woman to go out on Holi during the daytime. When the 'unfortunate' incident took place, she was with her 35 friends. The viral video was taken accidentally by a Japanese friend of her and there was no intention to convey anything negative about Holi, she said.

"The original Holi festival is a wonderful and fun traditional festival with the purpose of celebrating the arrival of spring by pouring coloured powder and water on each other and enjoying it regardless of skin colour or social status (There are various theories)," she wrote.

"I would like to express my sincere apologies for causing concern and anxiety in many ways, even though my goal was to convey the positive aspects and joys of India," she added.

Expressing confidence in police action, the woman said she loves everything about India and she has been in India many times" It's a wonderful country that you can't hate even if an incident like this happens."

In the video, the woman was seen playing Holi while some men groped her and forcefully put colour on her face. One of the men broke an egg on her head. The woman was seen saying ‘bye’, ‘bye’ to get out of the situation. She was seen slapping one of the men in the video. Police said action has been initiated against them under Delhi Police Act. "However, further legal action will be decided on merits and in accordance with the complaint by the girl, if any,"cops said.

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Watch CBS News

Spanish tourist camping with her husband is gang raped in India; 3 arrested as police search for more suspects

Updated on: March 4, 2024 / 8:47 AM EST / CBS/AFP

Three Indian men have appeared in court after the gang rape of a Spanish tourist on a motorbike trip with her husband, with police hunting four other suspects, reports said Monday.

The attack took place on Friday night in eastern India in Jharkhand state's Dumka district, where the couple were camping.

A total of seven men are accused of carrying out the brutal assault.

"We have formed a team to hunt the remaining suspects," senior local police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar told AFP.

On Sunday, three accused were seen being escorted into court with sacks on their heads by police officers holding ropes tied around their waists. The three were later remanded in custody.

The Spanish woman and her husband were also in court.

The couple  told Spanish TV channel Antena 3 on Saturday that the men raped the woman and hit the man repeatedly, the Reuters news agency reported.  They said they had camped out because they could not find hotels nearby, Reuters reported.

"We have to ensure strict punishment," Kherwar said, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported Monday.

Kherwar said a special team including forensic officers had been formed to scour the scene of the attack, while another team was hunting more suspects.

"They are constantly raiding places," Kherwar said in PTI's report. "We will soon arrest the remaining accused."

An average of nearly 90 rapes a day were reported in India in 2022, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau.

That year, police arrested 11 people after the alleged brutal gang rape and torture of a young woman that included her being paraded through the streets of Dehli. Also in 2022, a police officer in India was arrested after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl who went to his station to report she had been gang-raped.

In 2021, a 34-year-old woman in Mumbai died after being  raped and brutally tortured .

Large numbers of rapes go unreported due to prevailing stigmas around victims and a lack of faith in police investigations.

Convictions remain rare, with cases getting stuck for years in India's clogged-up criminal justice system.

The notorious gang rape and murder of an Indian student made global headlines in 2012 .

Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, was raped, assaulted and left for dead by five men and a teenager on a bus in New Delhi in December that year.

The horrific crime shone an international spotlight on India's high levels of sexual violence and sparked weeks of protests, and eventually a change in the law to introduce the death penalty for rape .

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Outrage as woman allegedly gang-raped, paraded in India’s capital

Three minor boys accused of sexually assaulting the woman, who was also allegedly tortured and paraded in the streets.

Police in India have arrested 12 people, including eight women and three minor boys, over alleged sexual assault and parading of a young woman in the streets of capital New Delhi.

Police on Tuesday told Al Jazeera the three minors are accused of sexually assaulting the woman, who is in her 20s, in a neighbourhood in the city’s east as India celebrated its Republic Day on January 26.

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Police said the young woman was allegedly gang-raped, her hair chopped off by the women of the house where she was attacked and her face blackened.

A video of the attack, available on social media, shows the victim being brutally slapped and kicked by the women as others in the house clap and cheer. The attack continues for several minutes as the woman pleads for mercy, her body crouched and hands folded.

After the beating, she was dragged out of the house and paraded in the narrow lanes of the neighbourhood, with a garland of discarded slippers hung around her neck. Videos of the incident show a crowd of people watching the assault that took place right before the woman’s paternal house.

The police arrived and rescued the woman. “She is in a government shelter home. We are providing security to her family,” senior police official R Sathiyasundaram told Al Jazeera over the telephone.

Local media reports said the attack took place because the woman, mother of a three-year-old child, had repeatedly rejected the advances of a teenager who lived next to her parent’s house in the city’s Kasturba Nagar area.

The 16-year-old boy’s family claims he killed himself following the rejection in November last year. Reports said the teen’s death caused the purported “revenge attack”.

“The boy committed suicide in November last year and his family is now blaming the victim. They have alleged it was because of her that he took the extreme step. To exact revenge on her, they allegedly abducted her. They wanted to teach her a lesson,” several media reports quoted a senior police official as saying last week.

The woman’s sister, whose identity cannot be revealed for legal reasons, told a local news website the teen who died had “fallen in love” with the victim. “He used to keep calling and asking her to leave her husband and be with him. She would always refuse,” she told newslaundry.com.

She said her sister was abducted on the morning of January 26 by four men from outside her husband’s house in New Delhi’s Karkardooma area, a 10-minute drive from the teen’s home in Kasturba Nagar where she was brought and sexually assaulted and tortured.

The incident has caused outrage in India, considered a “dangerous place” for women.

Kavita Krishnan, a member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) and a prominent feminist, said, “The stripping and parading, face-blackening are shameful practices of caste-based atrocities against persons of oppressed castes.”

“In the Kasturba Nagar incident, though both the accused and the victim are from the same community, the gender atrocity used the practices learned from caste atrocities. This is very much a gender atrocity where an entire neighbourhood thinks it is OK to lynch a woman because she did not reciprocate love for a man,” Krishnan told Al Jazeera.

Several other politicians, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have condemned the incident and demanded justice.

Kejriwal said the incident was “very shameful” and urged the federal government which controls the Delhi Police to take strict action against the accused.

“How did the criminals get so much courage?” Kejriwal tweeted. “Delhiites will not tolerate such heinous crime and criminals at any cost.”

Gandhi on Monday posted on Twitter that the video of the alleged gang-rape victim being brutally beaten up “exposes a very disturbing face of our society”.

“The bitter truth is that many Indians don’t consider women to be human,” Gandhi tweeted. “This shameful fact needs to be acknowledged and called out.”

New Delhi, one of the most unsafe cities for women in India, is often dubbed by the media as the country’s “rape capital”.

The brutal gang rape of a student in a bus and her subsequent death caused by the injuries suffered during the assault in 2012 saw India’s criminal laws amended to allow for a death sentence in certain cases of rape.

Despite stringent laws now in place, not much has changed on the ground. In 2020, more than 28,000 cases of rape were reported across India, an average of 77 in a day, according to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

The NCRB data from September 2021 also showed that more than 370,000 cases of crimes against women were reported in the country in the previous year. Experts believe the real figures are much higher as many women do not report such cases due to fear or shame or both.

Legal scholar and feminist Flavia Agnes told Al Jazeera that stringent rape laws are not a deterrent against the crime.

“The more we make our laws, the violence is becoming more brutal and it fails to act as a deterrent. Sad state of affairs,” she said. “What we need is not stringent punishment but certainty of punishment and strong victim support.”

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Outrage in India after video shows woman tourist being groped in Delhi during Holi

The video, which went viral on Twitter, shows a young Japanese woman being shoved around and groped by a group of men and boys in New Delhi during Holi. PHOTOS: SCREENGRAB FROM @SRAJ101/TWITTER via The Straits Times/Asia News Network

For at least 24 seconds, a rowdy mob of men and boys groped, shoved and humiliated a petite Japanese tourist on a street in New Delhi, on a day meant to mark Holi – the Hindu festival of colors and love.

A video of the incident, now viral on Twitter, is sparking outrage in India.

Two men and a minor were arrested on Saturday, as calls for police to take action grew.

The viral video shows a group of men and boys dousing the 22-year-old woman with colored water and powder as they shouted, “happy Holi” – as is the tradition during Holi.

But they were also seen in the clip groping her, touching her chest and pushing her around, even as she tried to flee from them, saying repeatedly, “itai, itai”, which is Japanese for “it hurts”.

A boy was also seen in the video smashing an egg on her head.

The woman then slapped a man who tried to grab her chest, and then quickly ran into an alley.

The incident reportedly took place in Delhi’s Paharganj area.

The victim was said to have flown to Bangladesh without filing a complaint.

Ms Swati Maliwal, chair of the Delhi Commission for Women, called the assault “completely shameful behavior”.

The National Commission for Women demanded that police conduct a “fair and time-bound investigation” into the incident, calling for “a detailed report”.

“The women protesting (against) the molestation and harassment during Holi are not defaming the religion or festival. The men doing it are. Go after them,” wrote Twitter user Priyashmita Guha.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Sain said all three arrested had admitted to being the ones assaulting the woman in the video.

But any action against them “would be decided on the merits and in accordance with the complaint by the girl, if any”, he said.

The Japanese tourist said in a Twitter post on Friday that she was already in Bangladesh, and that she was “fine”.

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3 arrested for molesting Japanese woman on Holi

After a video of a Japanese woman being groped and harassed by a group of men in Delhi during Holi celebrations emerged, Delhi Police said they have written to the Japanese embassy requesting help in establishing her identity. The Japanese embassy was contacted and they said they don't have any information about any such incident, the DCP told PTI. According to police, the woman is a Japanese tourist who was staying at Paharganj in the national capital and has now left for Bangladesh. Three boys, including a juvenile, have been apprehended and the accused have confessed to the incident, police said. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Kumar Sain said the video is being analysed to ascertain the details.

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Delhi: Japanese Woman Harassed, Egged by Group of Men on Holi; Police Informs Embassy

Curated By : News Desk

Edited By: Aashi Sadana

Last Updated: March 10, 2023, 19:17 IST

New Delhi, India

Screengrab from the purported video of the incident. (Image: Twitter/@ask_aubry)

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Kumar Sain said the video is being analysed to ascertain the details

A Japanese woman was allegedly groped, egged, and harassed by a group of men in Delhi on Wednesday during celebrations of Holi. As the purported video went viral on social media, the Delhi Police took cognisance of the matter and said that no complaint has been received yet.

Issuing a statement, police said they are verifying whether it is of a recent incident or an old one. “An email has been sent to the embassy for details of the woman and information on men seen in the video is also being collected. Cognisance of the video is taken and no complaint has been received so far,” police said.

According to the police, it seems that the video was taken in Paharganj, however, the details are yet to be confirmed.

The video shows a woman being allegedly egged and harassed by men in the national capital amid Holi celebrations. The men surround the girl and smear colour on her and smash eggs on her back as she tries to somehow defend herself.

The woman, who seemed uncomfortable around them, can also be seen saying “bye, bye” in the video in order to escape the scene and she eventually slaps a man who was allegedly forcefully tries to hold her.

Reacting to this, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal said she was issuing a notice to Delhi Police to examine the video and arrest the perpetrators. “Very disturbing videos getting viral on social media showing sexual harassment with foreign nationals on Holi! I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour!” Maliwal tweeted.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) too tweeted drawing attention to the video. It asked Delhi Police to register an FIR in the matter. “@NCWIndia has taken cognizance. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @CPDelhi to immediately file FIR in the matter. NCW has also sought a fair and time-bound investigation in the matter. A detailed report must be apprised to the commission,” the NCW tweeted.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Sanjay Kumar Sain said the video is being analysed to ascertain the details. “Prima-facie, on the basis of the landmark seen in the video, it seems to be from Paharganj. However, it is being verified on the ground whether any such incident took place in that area or the video is old,” he said. The Japanese embassy was contacted and they said they don’t have any information of any such incident, the DCP said.

(with inputs from PTI)

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Video Of Japanese Woman Being Harassed In Delhi On Holi Goes Viral, Delhi Police Start Probe

In the video, the men are seen grabbing the woman and smearing her with holi colours. a boy is also seen smashing an egg on her head..

After a video emerged on social media on Wednesday in which a Japanese woman was being groped, harassed and manhandled by a group of men in Delhi during Holi celebrations, the Delhi Police has taken cognisance of the matter and sent an email to the Japanese embassy asking for details of the woman. No formal complaint has been filed in this regard so far, according to the police.

"Cognisance of video taken, no complaint received so far. Email sent to embassy for details of the woman & information on men seen in the video also being collected," said Delhi Police, as reported by news agency ANI.

A video of a Japanese woman allegedly being harassed by men during Holi celebration had gone viral. Cognisance of video taken, no complaint received so far. Email sent to embassy for details of the woman & information on men seen in the video also being collected: Delhi Police — ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2023

Swati Maliwal, chief of Delhi Commission for Women on Friday reacted to the viral video and said that DCW will issue a notice to the Delhi Police to arrest the perpetrators. "Completely shameful behaviour," Swati Maliwal tweeted. 

Very distrubing videos getting viral on social media showing sexual harassment with foreign nationals on Holi! I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour! — Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) March 10, 2023

In the video, the men are seen grabbing the woman and smearing her with Holi colours. A boy is also seen smashing an egg on her head. At one point she can also be heard saying ‘bye’ ‘bye’ in an attempt to flee from the place.

Further in the video, the woman can be seen slapping one of them as she finally manages to step away.

For those who were against the #BHARATMATRIMONY Holi campaign. A Japanese tourist in India. Imagine your sister, mother or wife being treated like this in another county? Maybe you will understand then. pic.twitter.com/VribIpXBab — Ram Subramanian (@iramsubramanian) March 10, 2023

"Prima-facie, on the basis of landmark seen in the video, it seems that the video pertains to Paharganj, however, it is being verified on ground whether any such incident took place in that area or the video is old one," said Delhi police.

The police has already sought details of the woman from the Japanese embassy, and is also trying to establish the identity of the boys seen in the video

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Holi: Unholy day for women in Delhi; foreign national harassed, groped by ruffians

NEW DELHI: A video of a woman, probably a native of Japan, went viral on social media in which a gang could be seen groping and forcefully applying colours on her face and body.

In a 24-second video clip of the incident, which went viral on social media, the woman could be seen yelling at at least 5-6 ruffians who forcefully smeared her with colours. A man even smashed an egg on her head while another used blue-coloured foam spray to paint her body.

If that was not enough, the apparently youngest in the gang, slapped the woman on her backside. In the end when she finally managed to get rid of them and was trying to walk away, one of them tried to stop her again but she saved herself by lifting her hand as if to slap him.

In a bid to escape from this physical harassment, the woman could be heard repeatedly saying "Bye Bye". Pertinent to mention here that this newspaper could not independently check the veracity of the video.

However, the Delhi Police said they have taken cognizance of the said video being circulated over social media. "Prima-facie,  on the basis of landmarks seen in the video, it seems that the video pertains to Paharganj, however, it is being verified on ground whether any such incident took place in that area or the video is old one," a senior Delhi Police official said.

He said that no complaint or call relating to any kind of misbehaviour with any foreigner has been received at Paharganj police station. Still, the local police sent an Email to the Japanese embassy requesting for help in establishing the identity of the girl or any other details about the incident.

"Senior police officials have also been asked to collect the details of Japanese foreigners staying in the area and to establish the identity of the boys seen in the video through beat and division officers and local intelligence," the official said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal described as "disturbing" videos of foreign nationals being sexually harassed by ruffians on the occasion of Holi festival.

"I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour!" she said.

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Outrage in India after video shows woman tourist being groped in Delhi during Hindu festival

For at least 24 seconds, a rowdy mob of men and boys groped, shoved and humiliated a petite Japanese tourist on a street in New Delhi, on a day meant to mark Holi – the Hindu festival of colours and love.

A video of the incident, now viral on Twitter, is sparking outrage in India.

Two men and a minor were arrested on Saturday, as calls for police to take action grew.

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Japanese woman groped, harassed in Delhi on Holi

A video of the incident has gone viral since then, sparking a social media outrage with netizens demanding strict action against the perpetrators

New Delhi: In a shocking incident, a young woman from Japan, was groped, manhandled and harassed by a group of men in India’s capital New Delhi in the name of Holi celebrations.

A video of the incident has gone viral since then, sparking a social media outrage with netizens demanding strict action against the perpetrators.

Japanese woman gets harassed in Delhi

Delhi, on Wednesday, bore witness to the public manhandling of a Japanese woman - all in the name of - Bura Na Mano Holi Hai .

In a video doing the rounds on social media, men can be seen grabbing her and smearing her with colours amid raucous chants of “Holi Hai”.

A boy is also seen smashing an egg on her head. Even as the woman is seen saying, “bye bye” in a desperate attempt at trying to flee the young men, she is pushed around.

The video also sees her slapping a man who tries to hold her, before she finally manages to escape the ordeal.

‘Completely shameful’

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chief Swati Maliwal reacted to several such cases, tweeting, “Very disturbing videos getting viral on social media showing sexual harassment with foreign nationals on Holi! I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour!”

Very distrubing videos getting viral on social media showing sexual harassment with foreign nationals on Holi! I am issuing notice to Delhi Police to examine these videos and arrest the perpetrators! Completely shameful behaviour! — Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) March 10, 2023

BJP leader Khushboo Sundar, who is also a member of the National Commission for Women (NCW) tweeted: “Sickening. The woman has to send a notice to NCW”.

Sickening. The woman has to send a notice to NCW. — KhushbuSundar (@khushsundar) March 10, 2023

Delhi Police initiates probe

The Delhi Police has said prima-facie, on basis of the landmarks visible in the video, it seems to have been shot in Paharganj in central Delhi. However, they added that no complaint or call relating to any kind of misbehaviour with any foreigner has been received in the Paharganj police station.

“An e-mail has been sent to Japanese embassy requesting for help in establishing the identity of the girl or any other detail about the incident,” the police said in a statement.

The police, meanwhile, are trying to ascertain the identity of the boys visible in the video to facilitate action against them.

Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .

Umang Sharma is a media professional with over 12 years of experience. Crafting compelling content and using storytelling techniques are his strengths. His interest lies in national, global, political news and events. see more

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Some women shun Holi celebrations in India, fearing the violence that can lurk behind innocent fun

NEW DELHI - Holi each year is an exercise in hiding for 43-year-old Meenakshi Iyer.

She locks herself in her house, sometimes feigning illness, to keep out neighbours who wish to smear colours on her, as is customary during the Hindu spring festival.

At office Holi parties, the freelance illustrator has even holed herself up in the bathroom to steer clear of trouble.

Her dislike stems from when she was about 13 and growing up in Delhi, being targeted by passers-by with balloons filled with what she said was urine and “another gooey substance” that left her with a bad fungal infection.

“It was really bad,” she told The Straits Times. “Moreover, I don’t like anyone touching me without my consent, pulling my hair or pulling me by my shirt or my hand just to play with them.”

The Noida-based Ms Iyer is one of many Indian women who shun Holi each year because of nightmarish memories of assault and harassment that they have been subjected to over the years – all in the name of the innocent playfulness that is a hallmark of the festival.

Development sector professional Natasha Ramarathnam, 51, also stopped playing Holi more than 3½ decades ago when she was molested by a teenager slightly older than her at a Holi party in Kolkata.

“He grabbed my hand and languidly, very purposefully, applied colour on my arms, before pulling my T-shirt and shoving colour in while touching my nape,” she said. “Over the years, I realised, this is what happens in classic cases of sexual harassment.”

It is an issue that continues to haunt India, as illustrated by the recent assault on a Japanese female tourist, as well as other videos and reports of Indian women being attacked during Holi festivities and in past years.

Harassment of women during Holi is such a problem that organisers of ticketed Holi parties for the public in India now hire bouncers as a precautionary measure, advertising their presence to reassure visitors.

This year, a girls’ hostel at the University of Delhi prohibited its residents from stepping out before 6pm on the day of the festival. Holi celebrations usually end by dusk.

That this Holi coincided with International Women’s Day was not lost on BharatMatrimony, an online matrimony service.

It posted an advertisement showing a woman washing the colours off her face after playing Holi to reveal bruises. The firm called for celebrations that are “safer and more inclusive” for women.

Some individuals and organisations are fighting back to reclaim Holi from hooligans and make it safe for women to enjoy the festival.

Sahayog, a non-profit organisation headquartered in Lucknow, has since 2017 been sensitising boys and young men on drawing boundaries around consent and respecting women “just as they would their sisters and wives” while playing Holi.

A key phrase reiterated by Holi revellers, ingrained in popular culture, is “Bura Na Mano, Holi Hai” (Don’t mind, it’s Holi). But it can serve as carte blanche for some men to abuse others.

“Everything becomes permissible under this line, whether it is an inappropriate touch or abuse,” said Mr Pravesh Kumar Verma, a team manager with Sahayog.

This year, their campaign, which extended to 48 villages across four districts of Uttar Pradesh, tweaked the phrase to “Bura Na Mano Holi Hai, Par Bura Mano” (Don’t mind, it’s Holi; but do mind...).

“One must get offended and angry if something inappropriate has been said or done,” added Mr Verma.

But Holi can also empower women, especially in smaller towns and rural parts, to come out of what may be cloistered lives and revel in public spaces.

In Barsana, a place in Uttar Pradesh that is believed to be the birthplace of Hindu goddess Radha, the chief consort of Krishna, people play Holi in a unique manner, reminiscent of Krishna’s playful relationship with his female companions.

Women here have the upper hand. Armed not just with colours but with sticks, they “beat” up men from Krishna’s village, Nandgaon, while the latter defend themselves with shields.

The problem, as many point out, is not with Holi but with how some men have turned the festival into a “gropefest”, riding roughshod over female consent.

“I don’t think blaming Holi or boycotting it is going to help,” said Ms Iyer.

“A woman can be molested anywhere, which is why we need to make our society at large more women-friendly, and that’s a long-drawn process that begins at home, with parents teaching their children about consent and to respect girls and women.”

Acknowledging it is only some men who have sullied the festival, Ms Ramarathnam said that the vast majority of men who do not speak up against such acts of harassment perpetuates this problem.

“By looking away, an enabling environment is created for harassment of every kind, not just on Holi, and for the perpetrators to get away.”

The solution, she said, will have to come from silent male bystanders. “Today, the few who assault do it because they know that the chances of others even saying anything to them, them being ostracised or being called out is virtually zero.”

Some men are speaking up.

When the BharatMatrimony ad was criticised by certain sections for being “Hinduphobic”, Mr Iyan Karthikeyan, the editor of YouTurn, a fact-checking website, questioned how it could be labelled as such.

“Sexual harassment during Holi is a real issue... Can anyone deny that no such incidents have happened?” he tweeted.

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