Ahead of the festival of Holi, to be celebrated Thursday, the Mumbai Police have warned revellers to behave themselves, especially when it comes to complaints of harassment of women on the pretext of throwing colours or water balloons.
"We will burst your bubble if you throw that balloon at her," DD Padsalgikar, Mumbai's police commissioner, tweeted on his official Twitter handle Wednesday. The Mumbai Police's Twitter account also called on revellers to "play a gentleman's Holi."
According to Mid Day, the police have called on women to share complaints of such incidents directly on the police's Twitter account, and have even encouraged them to take photos of the culprits. The police vowed immediate response based on the tweets.
"The complainant should immediately take photographs of the miscreant, if possible. In case he has fled from the spot, she should take a photo of the spot. The same photographs need to be uploaded on the Mumbai police's Twitter handle. Our team will respond to the tweet and take action immediately," Mumbai Police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni was quoted as saying.
The Mumbai police have also reportedly placed a ban on obscene songs during Holi celebrations, according to the Hindustan Times. Apart from obscene songs, the city police have also banned exhibition of certain pictures and symbols and shouting of slogans, to avoid communal tension.
Several Mumbaiites have also urged against wasting water during Holi celebrations, especially in the light of the dire water crisis in Maharashtra's Latur district, which is only 400 kms from Mumbai.
The drought in the region has sparked fears of violence over water, with local authorities placing a ban on the assembly of five or more people around water storage tanks till May 31, according to the Times of India.
