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India: Japanese woman who was harassed on Holi deletes original video, breaks silence on incident

She had shared a clip showing men harassing her during the festival on Thursday, post which they were apprehended by Delhi Police

Published: Sun 12 Mar 2023, 9:37 AM

Updated: Sun 12 Mar 2023, 12:34 PM

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Photo: Twitter

Photo: Twitter

The Japanese woman who posted a video on Twitter, which showed her being harassed by a group of young men during the Indian festival Holi, has deleted the original video and explained the incident.

Three people have been taken into custody by Delhi Police, who launched an investigation after the video went viral.

The Japanese woman explained that she deleted the video because she was "terrified" by the traction it got and the number of direct messages she received, stating that it was "unbearable" for her mentally.

She apologised to anyone offended by the video as well.

"I had heard that it was very dangerous for a woman to go out alone during the daytime at the Holi festival," she tweeted, "... so I participated in the event with a total of 35 other friends. Unfortunately, this kind of situation happened." She said that the place was one of the most "unsafe" ones in the country.

"I would appreciate it if you could understand that I was not trying to convey the abnormalities ... of the Holi festival in India."

"It's hard to see in the video, but the cameraman and other people are helping us along the way," she added.

"In the wake of this incident, the police have promised to strengthen their crackdown, and we hope that harassment against women will decrease significantly at the Holi festival from next year," she tweeted.

She called Holi 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." She apologised again, insisting that her goal was to share the "positive aspects" of India. She said that one could not hate the country even after such an incident.

"I love everything about India, I have been there many times and it is a fascinating country. India and Japan will forever be 'Tomodachi'" (Japanese for 'friends')

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