Women dance to vulgar songs at Varanasi temple, police say AI,

Women dancing in front of police officers during a public event in India.

 Two women dance, surrounded by Varanasi policemen dance on Bhojpuri songs at a temple festival

Varanasi: A video showing women dancing while men cheer, howl and scream at the famous Lat Bhairav Temple in Varanasi during the annual Baba Lat Bhairav baraat procession has raised many eyebrows.

It shows women in ghaghra and sleeveless choli, dancing to non-religious, mainly Bhojpuri songs with vulgar lyrics, surrounded by Varanasi Police personnel, allegedly seen watching or recording the performance on their mobile phones.

It has triggered criticism from various quarters, with several people questioning the presence and conduct of policemen.

The Lat Bhairav Barat celebration is a five-day celebration marking the traditional wedding rituals of Baba Lat Bhairav (Kapal Bhairav) and Goddess Bhairavi. 

As part of the traditional rituals, devotees carrying wedding offerings from the main shrine in Kazzakpura proceed to Visheshwarganj Sabzi Mandi for the Tilak ceremony. 

The procession subsequently stops at the Kaal Bhairav temple for rituals and aarti before concluding at the Lat Bhairav temple. This year, the festival was held from September 23 to 27.

But temple authorities call it tradition

What is intriguing is the police calling the viral video AI-generated, saying it is being circulated to tarnish the police’s image. “In the mobile videos being made by the crowd, police standing in the background is not visible on any screen,” read a statement.

On the other hand, temple authorities said the video was from an event held as part of the annual procession of Baba Lat Bhairav and claimed that performances by nagar vadhus (courtesans) were part of a traditional practice associated with the festival.

Vulgarity in name of tradition: Critics : Sanatan Rakshak Dal president Ajay Sharma alleged that such performances had been introduced only in recent years.

“In the name of tradition, this vulgarity has been started for the last few years. There was no such tradition five or six years ago. If any programme had to be organised at the temple, it should have been a classical music programme. Making courtesans dance and spreading vulgarity in the name of religion has no place in religion or our scriptures,” Sharma said.

Advocate and former general secretary of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Vikas Singh, questioned the conduct of the police personnel allegedly seen in the video.

“This is not merely a matter of watching a dance or making a video. The question is about police’s duty and dignity. If police personnel deployed for crowd and women’s security are seen making videos on mobile phones and busy on group calls while on duty, it is serious. The uniform is a symbol of responsibility, not a pass for entertainment,” Singh said.

He demanded an impartial probe into the video and action against any police personnel found guilty of dereliction of duty. 

One X user asked Grok if the UP Police’s claims of the video being artificially generated are true. Here is what Grok replied.

The Samajwadi Party’s media cell also slammed the BJP government over the purported video, alleging on X that obscene songs, dances and vulgar performances were being held even in temple premises and during religious events.

“Those BJP people who used to point fingers at programmes at the Saifai Mahotsav, in the BJP government’s rule, obscene songs, obscene dances and vulgar performances are being held even in temple premises and religious events,” the SP media cell said in a post on X.

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It alleged that the BJP’s claims about “values, tradition, conduct and character” were belied by such incidents and accused the party of turning religious places into centres of “obscenity”.