Holi celebrations took a horrific turn for a 22-year-old Japanese woman in India after she faced harassment from a group of men. The woman tweeted, and later deleted, a video which shows a group of men shoving her around, groping her and smearing colour on her face. In a particularly disturbing moment, one person was seen smashing an egg onto her head.
“Bye, bye, bye,” the woman was heard saying repeatedly as she attempted extricate herself from the unruly group. Chants of “Holi hai, Holi hai,” can also be heard in the short clip.
When the woman finally managed to step away from the group, she was immediately confronted by another man who tried to smear colour on her face while shouting “Happy Holi.”
Visuals of the blatant harassment have shocked social media, where many have called for the group of men to be identified and punished. Some also pointed out the irony of the incident taking place on International Women’s Day, which coincided with Holi celebrations this year.
Bollywood actor Richa Chadha was among those who called for the men to be jailed.
The 22-year-old Japanese tourist has been travelling solo through India for the last few months. It is not immediately clear where she celebrated Holi. In an update posted on Twitter this evening, she said she has left India and reached Bangladesh. "I am fine in mind and body," the woman wrote.
