

{"id":191535,"date":"2024-04-01T18:29:33","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T12:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=191535"},"modified":"2024-04-01T18:29:33","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T12:59:33","slug":"in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/","title":{"rendered":"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The festival of Holi is often marred by allegations of molestation and harassment. While the catchphrase associated with the festival of colours, \u201cBura na mano, Holi Hai\u201d (Don\u2019t feel bad, it is Holi) is allegedly used to justify such acts, more often than not, women and people from non-Hindu communities become the victim of such nuisance. In extreme cases, what some see as &#8216;fun&#8217; becomes a nightmare for those not participating in the festival.<\/p>\n<p>Around March 25 (the day of the festival this year), several incidents came to the fore, thanks to social media platforms, where people from the Muslim community were targeted by Holi revellers. Some of the incidents allegedly involved intimidation, harassment and rowdyism, leading to FIRs and arrests.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Anticipating communal disturbance on Holi, the administration in Uttar Pradesh took preemptive measures in Shahjahanpur and Bareilly asking mosques to be <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/cities\/lucknow\/holi-mosques-ram-baraat-laat-saaheb-procession-routes-up-9231247\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">covered in tarpaulin<\/a>. &#8220;&#8230;.they (the clerics) have been told that the mosques will be properly covered so that no mischievous element does anything to disturb communal harmony,&#8221; said senior superintendent of police (Bareilly) Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan. This goes to show how a sense of premonition and foreboding among non-participating communities ahead of the festival has perhaps become the &#8216;new normal&#8217;.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Patients Headed to Hospital, Men Going to Funeral &#8212; None Spared in Bijnor, UP<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a video that emerged on Sunday, March 24, a group of men can be seen stopping a bike and harassing three travellers &#8211; a man and two women, one of whom is wearing a hijab. It can be gauged from the video that the group comprised more than 10 men. They proceed to physically intimidate the trio, drenching them with water and colours despite their protestations. Towards the end of the video, the mob lets the bike pass, but not before breaking into a barrage of religious slogans like \u2018Har Har Mahadev\u2019 and \u2018Jai Sri Ram.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">In UP&#8217;s Bijnor, a purported video of a family of three on motorcycle being harassed by people playing Holi on the street has surfaced. The family could be seen objecting to people forcefully applying colors and pouring water on them. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/adjB4EADnH\">pic.twitter.com\/adjB4EADnH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Benarasiyaa\/status\/1771780862218064008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 24, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Muslim man seen in the video, identified as Dilshad, was <a href=\"https:\/\/maktoobmedia.com\/india\/how-holi-turned-unholy-for-muslims-glimpses-from-across-indian-cities\/#:~:text=Dilshad%20(28)%2C%20who,from%20his%20house.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reportedly<\/a> taking his sister Sophia to a doctor. His mother also had to accompany them since his sister was too unwell to walk properly. The men stopped their vehicle and forcefully smeared them with Holi colours. Dilshad was physically assaulted once he tried to resist the harassment. &#8220;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bura na mano, Holi hai<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (Don\u2019t feel bad, it\u2019s Holi)&#8221;, they jeered while doing so. Dilshad alleges that the mob tried to inappropriately touch his mother and sister while raising religious slogans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bijnor Police arrested <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/cities\/lucknow\/holi-viral-video-uttar-pradesh-bijnor-muslim-9231583\/#:~:text=Police%20in%20Uttar%20Pradesh%20Sunday%20arrested%20three%20people%20and%20detained%20two%20minors%20in%20connection%20with%20a%20video%20from%20Bijnor%20district%20that%20showed%20Holi%20revellers%20harassing%20a%20man%20and%20two%20women%20from%20the%20Muslim%20community%20who%20were%20passing%20by%20on%20a%20two%2Dwheeler.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">three people and detained two minors<\/a> in connection with the incident. As pointed out earlier, the video shows a group of more than 10 people involved in the incident.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In another case from Dhampur, Bijnor, City News journalist Nidhi Sharma was harassed on the street. She alleged that the perpetrators held her collar and poured water on her from glasses they were drinking from. She was further seen accusing policemen standing in the vicinity of not taking cognizance of such cases of harassment that were occurring just a few steps away in broad daylight.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-video\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Citynewsup\/videos\/1457116354879127\/\" data-width=\"500\" data-show-text=\"true\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Citynewsup\/videos\/1457116354879127\/\"><p>\u0927\u093e\u092e\u092a\u0941\u0930 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0939\u0941\u0908 \u0936\u0930\u094d\u092e\u0928\u093e\u0915 \u0939\u0930\u0915\u0924<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Citynewsup\">City News &#8211; Nidhi Sharma<\/a> on Sunday 24 March 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In another live stream from the Dhampur police station on the same day, Nidhi reveals that the perpetrators\u2019 mothers also misbehaved with her, but they later apologised. Sharma\u2019s husband, who was recording, also commented that Muslims who were returning after prayers were also being forcefully smeared with colours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As her livestream continued, the couple got into their car and started driving. On their way, they came across a group of around six individuals, some of whom were minors, throwing water at passers-by. As their car stopped, they observed three Muslim men who were clearly asking the perpetrators to stop. However, one of them from the group proceeded to smear one of the Muslim men, who was wearing a white kurta, with colours and poured water over him. The victim, who later identified himself as Mohammad Iqbal, said the three of them were going to attend a funeral.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Barely two minutes later, Sharma observed two more burqa-clad women being harassed by the same group at the same spot. One of the women had a cannula inserted in her hand and had a high fever. The duo were headed to the hospital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-video\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Citynewsup\/videos\/1859242511259829\/\" data-width=\"500\" data-show-text=\"true\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Citynewsup\/videos\/1859242511259829\/\"><p>\u092e\u0947\u0930\u0947 \u0925\u093e\u0928\u0947 \u0938\u0947 \u0928\u093f\u0915\u0932\u0924\u0947 \u0939\u0940 \u092e\u0941\u0938\u094d\u0932\u093f\u092e \u092c\u093f\u092e\u093e\u0930 \u092e\u0939\u093f\u0932\u093e \u0915\u0947 \u0938\u093e\u0925 \u0915\u093f \u092c\u0924\u094d\u0924\u092e\u0940\u095b\u0940<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Citynewsup\">City News &#8211; Nidhi Sharma<\/a> on Sunday 24 March 2024<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>Last year, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelallantop.com\/news\/post\/holi-viral-video-bijnor-police-muslim-women-uttar-pradesh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">viral video<\/a> from Dhampur showed two burqa-clad women being harassed by a group of youths. The men are seen violently throwing water balloons at the women. They did the same with other unsuspecting passers-by as well.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"hi\">\u0935\u0940\u0921\u093f\u092f\u094b \u092c\u093f\u091c\u0928\u094c\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u0915\u0938\u094d\u092c\u093e \u0927\u093e\u092e\u092a\u0941\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u092d\u0917\u0924 \u0938\u093f\u0902\u0939 \u091a\u094c\u0930\u093e\u0939\u0947 \u0915\u0940 \u0939\u0948 \u091c\u0939\u093e\u0902 \u0939\u094b\u0932\u0940 \u0916\u0947\u0932\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0926\u094c\u0930\u093e\u0928 \u092c\u0941\u0930\u094d\u0915\u0947 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u091c\u093e \u0930\u0939\u0940 \u092e\u093e\u0901- \u092c\u0947\u091f\u0940 \u0915\u094b \u091c\u093c\u092c\u0930\u0928 \u092a\u0930\u0947\u0936\u093e\u0928 \u0915\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0917\u092f\u093e,\u0909\u0928\u0915\u0947 \u090a\u092a\u0930 \u0932\u0917\u093e\u0924\u093e\u0930 \u0930\u0902\u0917 \u092d\u0930\u0947 \u0917\u0941\u092c\u094d\u092c\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u092b\u0947\u0902\u0915\u0947 \u0917\u092f\u0947 \u0924\u094b \u091a\u092a\u094d\u092a\u0932 \u0939\u093e\u0925 \u092e\u0947 \u0909\u0920\u093e \u091c\u0932\u094d\u0926\u0940 \u0928\u093f\u0915\u0932\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0940 \u0915\u094b\u0936\u093f\u0936 \u0915\u0940,\u092d\u0930\u094b\u0938\u093e \u0915\u0930 \u0928\u093f\u0915\u0932\u0940 \u092a\u0930 \u0905\u092b\u093c\u0938\u094b\u0938 \u092d\u0930\u094b\u0938\u0947 \u0915\u093e \u0924\u094b \u091c\u093c\u092e\u093e\u0928\u093e \u0939\u0940 \u091a\u0932\u093e \u0917\u092f\u093e \u0939\u0948! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bYZX7CYq69\">pic.twitter.com\/bYZX7CYq69<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Zakir Ali Tyagi (@ZakirAliTyagi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZakirAliTyagi\/status\/1633863371396206593?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 9, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><b>Muslim Man&#8217;s Rickshaw Torched in Gujarat, 2 Arrested<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In Ahmedabad, a mob brutally beat up a Muslim rickshaw driver and set his rickshaw on fire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The driver, Nawab Vora, is a resident of Nawab Chawl in Ramol. According to the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/ahmedabad\/three-men-attack-driver-torch-his-autorickshaw\/articleshow\/108802551.cms\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">complaint<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> filed by Nawab, he had dropped off passengers near Champaner Society in Usmanpura on Monday afternoon, March 25, when one of the accused touched the hood of his vehicle with his colour-stained hands. The victim had asked them to stop dirtying his rickshaw, which angered the men. They consequently abused Vora and beat him up when he objected to the foul language. Vora pleaded with them not to hit him since he was observing Roza (the Muslim practice of observing a fast during the holy month of Ramadan). This allegedly riled them up more and the accused beat him up again. Upon the advice of some passers-by, Vora left the spot immediately. According to the complaint, as he was leaving, he could see the accused damaging his vehicle. When he returned to the spot after some time, he said that he only found the burnt frame of his rickshaw.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-191535 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/gjglu_1xyaaejql\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglu_1XYAAeJql.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglu_1XYAAeJql.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglu_1XYAAeJql-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglu_1XYAAeJql-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglu_1XYAAeJql-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/gjglvarxqaev8ng\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglvARXQAEv8ng.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglvARXQAEv8ng.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglvARXQAEv8ng-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglvARXQAEv8ng-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/03\/GJglvARXQAEv8ng-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Two individuals &#8212; Vijay Suryavanshi, 26, and Natwar Solanki, 39, &#8212; have been arrested in the case. Another accused, Sanjay Vyas, is on the run. Vadaj police booked them for causing hurt, using abusive words, causing damage and abatement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4>YouTuber Records Unrestrained Harassment of Women in Mathura<\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A YouTuber who runs a channel named Ghumakkad Laali filmed her ordeal while visiting Mathura on Holi. At the beginning of the video itself, she can be seen facing her camera and pointing out how she feels unsafe. \u201cThey are asking me for my number, saying that their uncles are at home\u201d, she is heard saying as men flock around her camera. \u201cThey specifically target women, intentionally spray water on their breasts and hips..When I protested, they asked me if I had come here to die,\u201d she says. The visuals show hordes of men standing along either side of a staircase, throwing water and harassing women as they pass by.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[youtube <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xESxQwAKcyc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xESxQwAKcyc<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In what remains one of the most harrowing first-person accounts of harassment faced in the midst of a crowd of Holi revellers, writer<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scoopwhoop.com\/amp\/culture\/holi-molestation-lath-maar-holi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Meghana Sanka and independent photographer Deepti Asthana<\/a> had in 2017 recorded the dark sides of the famed \u2018<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/lifestyle\/what-s-hot\/story\/lathmar-holi-barsana-nandgaon-lord-krishna-radha-mathura-uttar-pradesh-1179205-2018-02-28\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lath Mar Holi<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2019,celebrated in the towns of Barsana and Nandgaon in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. As part of the festival, people try to recreate the legend of the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna, where Radha and her consorts take offence at Krishna\u2019s advances and drive him out with sticks. The &#8216;festivity&#8217;, as witnessed by Meghana Sanka and Deepti Asthana, led to mass harassment of women, which involved making vulgar gestures, lewd comments, and physical harassment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This year, in a video purportedly from Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, a woman accompanied by a man is seen harassed by a group of men, in the presence of approximately 80-100 onlookers. The mob threw water at her, and justified their actions saying \u2018Holi Hai\u2019. When her male companion protested, he was also harassed. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelallantop.com\/news\/post\/police-action-against-people-throwing-water-at-couple-varanasi-manikarnika-ghat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lallantop report<\/a> on the incident, the couple had not lodged a formal complaint with the police and a probe was underway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[youtube https:\/\/youtu.be\/gHEeDCAJsIA?feature=shared]<\/p>\n<h4>Mosque Defaced with &#8216;Jai Sri Ram&#8217; Slogans<\/h4>\n<p>In Beed, Maharashtra, &#8216;Jai Shri Ram&#8217; slogans were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.deccanherald.com\/india\/maharashtra\/shri-ram-slogan-found-written-on-wall-of-mosque-in-maharashtras-beed-2952515\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">inscribed<\/a> using Holi colours and <em>pichkari<\/em> at the Markaz Masjid. The inscription was found at around 5 pm on the day of Holi, March 25. Police have registered an FIR. SDPO Dheeraj Kumar released a video saying the accused would be arrested soon.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WATCH<\/a> | &#8216;Shri Ram&#8217; slogan was found written on the wall of a mosque in Maharashtra&#8217;s Beed on 25th March<\/p>\n<p>SDPO Dheeraj Kumar yesterday said, &#8220;A notorious man wrote &#8216;Shri Ram&#8217; on the wall of Markaz masjid. FIR was lodged in the incident. The accused will be arrested soon.&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3y2NHtNWo2\">pic.twitter.com\/3y2NHtNWo2<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ANI (@ANI) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ANI\/status\/1772519279079940460?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 26, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instances like these are no aberration. Last year, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/india-news\/original-holi-fun-love-india-molested-japanese-woman-says-she-was-terrified-101678549588653.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Japanese traveller<\/a> was molested during Holi celebrations on the streets of Paharganj in New Delhi. Police took cognizance of the issue after a video had gone viral on social media, showing the 22-year-old woman being groped on camera by several men, including minors, under the pretext of applying colours as part of the celebration. In the video, someone also smashes an egg on her head, despite her clear objections and discomfort.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In a report on March 9, 2023, the Citizens for Justice and Peace documented several <a href=\"https:\/\/cjp.org.in\/when-holi-gets-tarnished-by-the-unholiness-of-harassment-molestation-and-humiliation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">similar incidents on Holi, last year<\/a>. On March 6, 2023, i.e., on the eve of the festival, Right Wing propaganda outlet Sudarshan News\u00a0 tweeted about a programme that evening titled, &#8220;\u092e\u0941\u0932\u094d\u0932\u0947 \u0939\u094b\u0932\u0940 \u092e\u093f\u0932\u0928 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0906\u090f\u0902\u0917\u0947 \u0932\u0947\u0915\u093f\u0928 \u0930\u0902\u0917 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0932\u0917\u093e\u090f\u0902\u0917\u0947&#8221; (Mullas will come for Holi festivities, but will not allow you to apply colours.) Over a year later, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SudarshanNewsTV\/status\/1632677151047835649?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the tweet is still live<\/a> on the platform.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prantik Ali is an intern at Alt News.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The festival of Holi is often marred by allegations of molestation and harassment. While the catchphrase associated with the festival of colours, \u201cBura na mano, Holi Hai\u201d (Don\u2019t feel bad, it is Holi) is allegedly used to justify such acts, more often than not, women and people from non-Hindu communities become the victim of such [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":200334,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[693],"an_content_type":[],"coauthors":[706,728],"class_list":["post-191535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-featured","fact_checks_claim_type-economics"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment - Alt News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment - Alt News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The festival of Holi is often marred by allegations of molestation and harassment. While the catchphrase associated with the festival of colours, \u201cBura na mano, Holi Hai\u201d (Don\u2019t feel bad, it is Holi) is allegedly used to justify such acts, more often than not, women and people from non-Hindu communities become the victim of such [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alt News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/altnews.in\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-01T12:59:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/holi.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shinjinee Majumder, Prantik Ali\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@shinjineemjmdr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AltNews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shinjinee Majumder, Prantik Ali\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Shinjinee Majumder\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aeb8b15acf4901ac0923f445c1edd3d3\"},\"headline\":\"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-01T12:59:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1651,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/holi.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"featured\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/\",\"name\":\"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment - Alt News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/holi.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-01T12:59:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/holi.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/holi.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":628},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Politics\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/topics\\\/politics\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Alt News\",\"description\":\"Alternative News and Views in the Post-Truth World\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alt News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/alt-logo-new-look.jpg?resize=2173%2C2172&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/10\\\/2017\\\/02\\\/alt-logo-new-look.jpg?resize=2173%2C2172&ssl=1\",\"width\":2173,\"height\":2172,\"caption\":\"Alt News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/altnews.in\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/AltNews\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCdDjoZAtt6PjQKAbr2FTOAQ\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aeb8b15acf4901ac0923f445c1edd3d3\",\"name\":\"Shinjinee Majumder\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4ad529be7b648b078d1f91692bea6e5a8ec7fb0087c412cc7951228a25bc8ffe?s=96&d=identicon&r=gcd58cfb9ba8e255239cb46c68dd66189\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4ad529be7b648b078d1f91692bea6e5a8ec7fb0087c412cc7951228a25bc8ffe?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4ad529be7b648b078d1f91692bea6e5a8ec7fb0087c412cc7951228a25bc8ffe?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Shinjinee Majumder\"},\"description\":\"Student of Economics at Presidency University. Interested in misinformation.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/shinjineemjmdr\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.altnews.in\\\/english-clone-2026\\\/author\\\/shinjinee\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment - Alt News","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment - Alt News","og_description":"The festival of Holi is often marred by allegations of molestation and harassment. While the catchphrase associated with the festival of colours, \u201cBura na mano, Holi Hai\u201d (Don\u2019t feel bad, it is Holi) is allegedly used to justify such acts, more often than not, women and people from non-Hindu communities become the victim of such [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/","og_site_name":"Alt News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/altnews.in","article_published_time":"2024-04-01T12:59:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/holi.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Shinjinee Majumder, Prantik Ali","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@shinjineemjmdr","twitter_site":"@AltNews","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shinjinee Majumder, Prantik Ali","Estimated reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/"},"author":{"name":"Shinjinee Majumder","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#\/schema\/person\/aeb8b15acf4901ac0923f445c1edd3d3"},"headline":"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment","datePublished":"2024-04-01T12:59:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/"},"wordCount":1651,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/holi.jpg","keywords":["featured"],"articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/","url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/","name":"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment - Alt News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/holi.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-01T12:59:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/holi.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/holi.jpg","width":1200,"height":628},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/in-up-gujarat-holi-revelry-triggers-rowdyism-intimidation-and-harassment\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Politics","item":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/topics\/politics\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"In UP, Gujarat, Holi revelry triggers rowdyism, intimidation and harassment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/","name":"Alt News","description":"Alternative News and Views in the Post-Truth World","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#organization","name":"Alt News","url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/02\/alt-logo-new-look.jpg?resize=2173%2C2172&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2017\/02\/alt-logo-new-look.jpg?resize=2173%2C2172&ssl=1","width":2173,"height":2172,"caption":"Alt News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/altnews.in","https:\/\/x.com\/AltNews","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCdDjoZAtt6PjQKAbr2FTOAQ"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/#\/schema\/person\/aeb8b15acf4901ac0923f445c1edd3d3","name":"Shinjinee Majumder","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4ad529be7b648b078d1f91692bea6e5a8ec7fb0087c412cc7951228a25bc8ffe?s=96&d=identicon&r=gcd58cfb9ba8e255239cb46c68dd66189","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4ad529be7b648b078d1f91692bea6e5a8ec7fb0087c412cc7951228a25bc8ffe?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4ad529be7b648b078d1f91692bea6e5a8ec7fb0087c412cc7951228a25bc8ffe?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Shinjinee Majumder"},"description":"Student of Economics at Presidency University. Interested in misinformation.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/shinjineemjmdr"],"url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/author\/shinjinee\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/04\/holi.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191535"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200335,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191535\/revisions\/200335"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/200334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191535"},{"taxonomy":"an_content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/an_content_type?post=191535"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=191535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}