With Holi just around the corner, celebration are in full swing, most prominently in North India’s Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, which includes cities and towns of Mathura, Vrindavan, Barsana, Nandgaon, and Gokul. Regions revered for their holy history and famous for their Braj ki Holi where large crowds gather for the festival.
Viral videos from the event have, however, dampened the celeberatory mood with visuals showing men of all ages openly molesting women and using the festival’s gathering as an opportunity to harass them.
A video shows a man touching a woman inappropriately while she is walking with a group in the middle of the crowd and colour is being thrown around freely. Some men are seen holding women’s hands forcefully, not allowing them to leave their embrace.
By invoking the familiar festival phrase, “Bura na maano, Holi hai,” some men appear to allow themselves to overstep boundaries, using the phrase to justify inappropriate touching of women under the guise of applying colour.
Several users condemned the behaviour, while other women shared their own ordeal.
“Yes this is true since I have suffered I haven’t gone again. Sit at home and worship peacefully, it is better than I think,” one user wrote.
“I have made sure that no female friend or family member ever goes to Braj to celebrate Holi. It is not celebration, it is outright molestation. The locals have zero fear of the law. It is best to avoid celebrating Holi there,” another wrote.
A different user stated that Holi is often marked by women being molested, saying, “Molesting girls is not Holi. Social media has exposed the dark reality of Braj Ki Holi, where people molest girls under the excuse of Bura Na Mano Holi Hai. You harass women and expect them not to object. Is this your culture?”
Another video from X shows a group of youth claiming their target is women. “Target fixed hai bhabiyon par (My target is fixed on sisters), a youth said.
The video then shows colour and water sprinklers specifically being thrown, in some instances, aggressively at women alone. A clip shows a woman protesting as a man throws coloured powder on her; however, he continues to smudge it all over her face.
One woman shared her experience online, “This is the biggest reason I have never liked this festival.”
“The festival has turned rogue. It has become an opportunity for molesters to grab women, touch their private parts and pass lewd comments. When confronted, some men respond with Why are you here then or ask for phone numbers,” another woman said.
An online user commented on the issue saying if women are being molested during the festival, it is a masculinity problem. “If a woman can’t step out to celebrate without calculating risk, then we don’t have a festival problem, we have a masculinity problem. And the worst part? Many decent men stay silent. They see it, feel awkward, laugh nervously, move on. That silence protects the offenders,” he wrote.
