Fury in India over video of female Japanese teen being molested in Delhi during Holi: Campaigners slam ‘completely shameful behaviour’ as it reignites row over females being targeted by ‘Holi harassment’

• Three men arrested over video showing woman being groped at Holi celebration
• It is the latest case of what has become known as ‘Holi harrassment’ in India 

A Japanese woman was sexually assaulted by a group of men during the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi in the latest case of what has become known as ‘Holi harrassment’ in India. 

A video of the teenage tourist has gone viral since the attack on Wednesday, in which five or six men and boys can be seen groping her.

The incident reportedly took place in the capital’s Paharganj area, which is popular with Western backpackers, including Brits.

Three people, including a minor, have now been arrested in connection with it.

In the video, men forcefully smear the woman’s face with colours and even smash an egg on her head as they shove her between them, all while screaming ‘happy Holi’.

A Japanese woman was sexually assaulted by a group of men during the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi (stock image)

The young woman is seen trying to cover her face and escape the aggressive gang, holding her arms up to protect her face.

She can be heard saying ‘bye-bye’ as she tries to evade them in the distressing footage, and eventually slaps one man as he launches himself towards her before slipping down an alleyway.

There have also been reports that the victim has now left India, and an email has been sent to the Japanese embassy requesting her details, the police have said.

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

The video has sparked outrage about women’s safety during the Hindu festival, which is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and water at each other.

For years women have complained about being harassed and groped by men under the pretext of applying colours.

Swati Maliwal, the chair for Delhi Commission for Women, described the incident as ‘completely shameful behaviour’.

She said she is issuing a notice to Delhi police to look at the videos and arrest the perpetrators. 

In another shocking incident at Holi celebrations this year,  a 65-year-old woman was reportedly beaten to death by a group of six in Balbadda, Jharkhand.

The mother, named as Bucchi Devi, had been trying to stop the perpetrators applying colours to her son Murari.

Both of them were thrashed by the group until they lost consciousness, and soon after Murari woke up to find his mother lying dead, according to reports.

The incident reportedly took place in the capital’s Paharganj area (pictured), which is popular with Western backpackers, including Brits (stock image)

Holi harassment has sparked angry protests in recent years, with women drawing attention to the dark side of the festival of colours.

In 2021, two teenage girls were gang raped in a forest area in Tripura, northeast India, by eight men who were later arrested by the local police.

The girls, aged 14 and 15, had been celebrating the festival when they went for a stroll with two of the accused. 

In 2018, there were protests among female students in India’s capital, with many using social media to highlight how uncomfortable the festival can be for women.

As well as the smearing of colours without consent, women described how water balloons thrown at them could be filled with disgusting substances, as well as eggs and mud being slung.

A post by student Tolino Chishi, claiming that someone had thrown a ‘semen-filled balloon’ at her went viral, triggering a anti-harassment protests at the Delhi University campus. 

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