Tourist arrested over naked photos on sacred bridge in India

A French woman has been arrested after she upset authorities by filming herself and another woman “semi-naked” on a sacred bridge in India.

A woman has been taken into custody after she filmed herself naked on a sacred bridge in the northern Indian city of Rishikesh.

The 27-year-old tourist from France had been staying in Rishikesh since India imposed a national lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

She was tracked down after the videos appeared online on Friday featuring herself and another woman “semi-naked” on the Laxman Jhula bridge, the Times of India reported.

The bridge over the river Ganges is a holy site and scenic spot for visitors.

The photos uploaded were found to be deeply offensive, with local council members filing a complaint with police under Indian laws forbidding the “transmission of obscene material” online.

Local police say the offence was part of a promotional photo shoot for a business selling gemstones.

The Laxman Jhula bridge, over the Ganges, is considered sacred.

However the woman, identified by AFP as Marie-Helene, denied this was her motivation, saying that the photo shoot was a protest against sexual harassment.

“I chose to partially uncover on Laxman Jhula because each time I crossed the bridge I felt I was being harassed … My Indian sisters and fellow female travellers surely have experienced the same,” she said.

Marie-Helene also issued an apology, saying she was “lacking awareness on cultural specificities”.

The other woman is yet to be identified, and the state is still searching for local photographers who had been involved in the shoot.

The 27-year-old tourist faces charges under India's internet law with a maximum sentence of three years jail if found guilty. Picture: Laurane Becquart / AFP

Marie-Helene had been trying to source “body pigments” and photo props in Rishikesh community forums on Facebook since the beginning of the month.

“The woman had been staying at a local guesthouse since March, where she shot some of the photos that led to her arrest,” said police spokesperson Muni Ki Reti RK Saklani. “They had hired some local photographers for the shoots.”

Apparently prompted by the charges, Marie-Helene wrote an apology on Facebook and a defence of her “Creativity”:

“It implies for each of us to uncover our vulnerabilities, to break the protective layers,” she wrote.

“I think I have just done that the past weeks, and I feel so sorry that it was so misunderstood.”

This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and was reproduced with permission