A visit to the Taj Mahal turned traumatic for two women tourists from the Northeast, who alleged they were secretly filmed and ‘harassed’ by two men inside the monument premises.
The incident came to light after one of the women shared a detailed account on Reddit, sparking outrage online.
In the now-viral post, the woman described how she and her friend, both dressed in kurtis and dupattas, were exploring the monument early in the morning when they noticed two men following and recording them. According to her, the men had over 30 videos and several photos of them stored across three phones, including slow-motion close-ups of their bodies.
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Check out the post here:
“To my horror, we later realised they had even made slow-mo videos of my behind. It was disgusting and completely dehumanising,” she wrote.
{{/usCountry}}“To my horror, we later realised they had even made slow-mo videos of my behind. It was disgusting and completely dehumanising,” she wrote.
{{/usCountry}}When the women confronted the men, they allegedly continued filming and claimed they were simply capturing the monument. It was only after the women's boyfriends, who were nearby with a guide, intervened that the men agreed to delete the footage.
“Most of the content was close-ups of our faces, chests, and behinds,” the post added. “We felt completely violated.”
Guards turn blind eye
What made the situation worse, the woman said, was the lack of action by on-site security staff. Despite rules banning certain recordings within the monument, guards reportedly turned a blind eye.
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“Security staff are quick to stop people from dancing or making videos here, but did nothing about this. That was the most upsetting part,” she wrote.
The tourists chose not to file a police complaint, citing fear, exhaustion, and the guide’s advice to avoid “creating a scene” since they were not local residents and were returning home the same day.
“We thought we’d be safe by coming early and dressing modestly. But clearly, even taking every precaution isn't enough. We just want to exist without being harassed,” she added.
They shared the story and photos of the alleged harassers on Reddit to raise awareness and highlight how easily women’s safety is compromised, even in one of India’s most guarded and globally recognised heritage sites.
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