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Holi celebrations marred by violence
Holi revelry on Saturday was marred by a spate of violent incidents, besides molestation and seven children being burnt by spurious colours used for the festival.
- By Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent
- Published: 00:34 March 25, 2008
Mumbai: Holi revelry on Saturday was marred by a spate of violent incidents, besides molestation and seven children being burnt by spurious colours used for the festival.
Children playing with coloured powders started complaining of skin and eye irritation when they came in contact with water and had to be admitted in hospital. "The burns and blisters are healing now and they will be discharged from the hospital soon," said Dr Dilip Pagare, medical officer at the Thane Civil Hospital where four of the children, aged between one and 15 have been admitted. "It could have been a mix of lime and boric powder," he said.
Meanwhile, a young man who was hit by a water balloon thrown at him is going through a harrowing time in hospital since he is likely to lose 50 per cent of his eye sight.
Alarmed by the extensive use of chemical-based colours during Holi, a Thane-based NGO, Enviro-Vigil has been spreading the message of using eco-friendly or natural colours through workshops.
Molested
Celebrations also turned out to be a nightmare for two 13-year-olds who were molested by hooligans as they were walking down a street with their friends in Bandra. The goons rubbed colour on the girls and molested them even as they screamed for help and escaped after seeing a police van.
In another case of violence, some unidentified people beat up four Holi revellers going to Juhu beach to take a dip after they identified themselves as Biharis when questioned by the attackers.
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