Japanese woman molested on Holi opens up on the incident; here’s what she said

She also said that she participated in the festival with 35 of her friends.

However, In a series of Tweet, she said that she loves everything about India and can’t hate the country even after this incident. India and Japan will forever be “Tomodachi” which means friends.

The video of the incident which went viral on social media showed a group of youths smearing colour on the woman, who appeared uncomfortable. It also showed one of them smashing an egg on her head.

In a tweet, she wrote, “On March 9th, I tweeted a video of the Indian festival Holi, but after that, the number of RTs and DMs increased more than I had imagined, and I was terrified, so I deleted the tweet. We sincerely apologize to those who were offended by the video”

“I had heard that it was very dangerous for a woman to go out alone during the daytime at the Holi festival, an Indian festival that I participated in, so I participated in the event with a total of 35 other friends. Unfortunately, this kind of situation happened,” she further said.

“The video that triggered the fire this time was not a scene in which a dedicated cameraman was being attacked on purpose, but a video taken by chance while another Japanese event participant was filming the scenery of the festival. I would appreciate it if you could understand that I was not trying to convey the abnormalities and damages of the Holi festival in India,” she further added.

“It’s hard to see in the video, but the cameraman and other people are helping us along the way. “The place where the video was filmed is considered to be one of the most unsafe places in India, and I participated in the festival,” she said.

Describing the festival, she said, “the original Holi festival is a wonderful and fun traditional festival with the purpose of celebrating the arrival of spring by pouring colored powder and water on each other and enjoying it regardless of skin color or social status.”

Apologising for the causing concern to many people through videos, she wrote, “I would like to express my sincere apologies for causing concern and anxiety in many ways, even though my goal was to convey the positive aspects and joys of India. really sorry.”

“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.”

Concluding her tweet, she expressed her love for the country. She wrote, “And most of all, I love everything about India, I have been there many times and it is a fascinating country. It’s a wonderful country that you can’t hate even if you receive this incident. India and Japan will forever be “Tomodachi”…”

Many countrymen reacted on her tweet and apologised to her for the incident. One user wrote, “There is no reason for you to apologise. Indian men who ‘play’ holi owe an apology to you. Be well and take care.” Another wrote, “”Owe her apology?”. Those criminals should be jailed for years.”

Another user wrote, “You have nothing to apologise for. I’m deeply ashamed of my countrymen and so sorry you had to go through this experience. Please stay safe and do not hesitate to call out the horrible parts of Indian culture. Loving a culture or a place does not mean you can’t criticise it.”

“I am sorry on behalf of the uncouth individuals who harrassed you, intimidated you, and made you feel like you have to be sorry for whatever happened to you,” another user wrote. Another wrote, “Mam, please press charges. You dom’t need to apologize.”

“Such a sad state of affairs when the victim has to apologise for offending people and the perpetrators roam free with AHs defending them. We all should be apologising to megumiko_india for allowing our society to reach such an abysmal low.”

Meanwhile, on this incident, three people, including a juvenile, were apprehended for allegedly harassing and groping the Japanese woman. Deputy Commissioner of Police (central) Sanjay Kumar Sain said people seen in the video have been identified.

Action has been initiated against the accused under the Delhi Police Act. However, the further course of action will be decided on the basis of the merits of the case and in accordance with the woman’s complaint, if any, the police told PTI.

So far, the woman has not lodged any complaint. A Japanese embassy official, in response to an email, confirmed that she has not contacted the embassy also, a senior police officer said.

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and the National Commission for Women (NCW) also took cognisance of the video on Friday and asked Delhi Police to examine it and register an FIR.

Separately, Delhi Police took to Twitter on Saturday, asking people not to share “misinformation” on social media about the number of crimes reported in the national capital on Holi.

“Some social media handles are sharing exaggerated and unfounded crime figures of Delhi pertaining to Holi festival. Spreading misinformation is legal offence… Do not share such information without verification,” it said.

(With inputs from agencies)