NEW DELHI, August 31: A French woman was arrested for making a video of herself naked on the “sacred” suspension bridge “Lakshman Jhula” on the gushing river Ganges taking the tourists and pilgrims to the holy city of Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. The video shot on the bridge was posted on social media creating furor among the viewers.
The police said on Monday that the woman, arrested last week, would face charges under the internet law and could be sentenced to up to three years in prison, if found guilty.
The woman, who has since been released on bail, told police the video was made to promote her jewellery business. “Maybe in France these things are not considered objectionable. But Rishikesh is a holy place and the Lakshman Jhula is the place where Ram, Lakshman and Sita are believed to have crossed the Ganges,” the Rishikesh police said.
The woman, who has not been officially identified, was arrested after police were alerted to the footage. “During the questioning, she accepted to have shot the video in the nude but claimed she was not aware that it’s illegal in India. She said the video and the photo-shoot was intended to promote her bead-necklace business,” the police said.
(Manas Dasgupta)