Group Harassment of Japanese Women at Indian Festival... Some Perpetrators Are Minors

Forcibly Applying Dye to the Body and Embracing

A Japanese female traveler was collectively harassed by local men at a festival held in India, leading the police to arrest three suspects.

[Photo is not related to the article] [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to local media such as India Times on the 12th (local time), the woman was surrounded and harassed by several men during the Holi festival, known as the "Festival of Colors," on the 8th in Paharganj, the capital city of New Delhi. Paharganj, also called the "traveler's street," is a place frequently visited by foreign tourists.

In the video footage, the men forcibly apply colored powder and dye onto the resisting woman's body. They forcibly hugged her as she shouted and struggled, rubbing dye onto her head.

The festival, which originated from the Hindu deity Krishna and Radha playfully applying colors to each other's faces and bodies, is celebrated by throwing colors or colored powder on one another. However, this incident involving the Japanese woman has been criticized locally as going beyond acceptable limits.

Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, pointed out on Twitter that it was a "completely shameful act."

As public outrage grew, the police launched an investigation and urgently arrested three men, including one minor. According to the police, those arrested confessed to the crime.

The woman who was collectively harassed reportedly left for Bangladesh on the 10th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.