India is a secular country having diverse religions, languages, customs and traditions. This is the reason why Indians celebrate many festivals throughout the year. Festival celebration brings happiness and joy to all. This is the occasion which creates a gathering, where all the family members, relatives, friends and loved ones can meet and share their happiness.

Festivals play an important role in our lives. As we are living in the fast-paced world leading a mechanical life, we are under stress, all the time. Festivals are the ideal occasions to take a break from stress and create memorable times. It is also during the festivals people belonging to different religions celebrate different festivals thus uniting the country. The main festivals celebrated in India are Diwali, Eid, Baisakhi, Christmas, etc.

In addition to the religious festivals, we celebrate the national festivals like Independence Day and Republic Day, which are common to all the people living in India. Irrespective of religion, cast and creed, all Indians celebrate these festivals. These national festivals aim at promoting brotherhood. Thus, festivals are very important in one’s life to know the traditional values and customs of a nation.India is a land of diversity therefore, it is suffice to say that the number of festivals we enjoy is one of the ways in which it makes us feel proud of it.

People start to act less or are become numb over some grieve matters. Different researches have shown that social media is the main cause of sustaining and normalizing gender-based violence, ethnic discrimination, and religious intolerance. Ironically, the sole purpose is to condemn violence and hate. It is also seen that social media is one of the major causes of mental health issues which eventually lead to criminal activities. Especially among the younger generation, violent graphic content triggers anxiety and depression, leading to aggressive behavior. Youngsters develop a sense of inferiority complex when they see material things their age fellows display; it also propels them to commit crimes like below :

Theft & Robbery

Leave unnecessary valuables at home. If you need to bring expensive items, check if there are secure lockers available to store them. Beware of pick pockets and don’t keep valuables in outside pockets whilst in crowds. It’s better to keep them in a bumbag or money belt rather than a rucksack.

Never leave valuable items in your tent when you are not there. Thieves sometimes unzip tents or cut holes in them to grab things that are easily accessible. When you are sleeping, keep valuables in the bottom of your sleeping bag.Try to avoid taking large sums of cash with you and instead use the machines on site or check in advance if traders will take card payments.Some festivals now run ‘cashless’, allowing you to load your wristband with credit in advance. Check with your event if this is available and don’t forget to load up before you go.

You can register your valuables with Immobilise, the UK national property register. This may improve the chances of getting them back if they are lost or stolen.

Antisocial Behaviour & Violence

Wherever there are large crowds gathering together with lots of intoxicated people, perceptions can be distorted, inhibitions reduced and sometimes minor tensions can escalate.

• If you see trouble brewing, walk away and don’t get involved. Look for a member of security staff and report it – prevention is better than trying to resolve a problem afterwards.
• Consider how your own behaviour could be interpreted and be sensitive to the fact that when people are intoxicated things can be taken the wrong way.
• If you have a friend that sometimes acts up when they are partying, find a

good time to have a word with them beforehand about how to behave.

• If you spot a friend behaving badly and you think trouble could be brewing, try and calmly take them out of the situation before things escalate. Festival sites are huge! You don’t need to stick around in one place if you feel uncomfortable.

Sexual Assault & Harassment

All festivals have a zero-tolerance policy towards any kind of sexual assault or harassment. Sexual assault can happen anywhere and to anyone. There is no evidence to suggest that more of these incidents take place at festivals, but organisers take this issue incredibly seriously in their planning and practices. These include the provision of welfare services, 24 hour security on campsites and arenas and close working relationships with police and other relevant agencies.

It is never the victim’s fault, but there are things you can do stay safe and look after each other. Festivals are places to meet new people and make friends but stay alert and try to avoid putting yourself in situations where you are alone in secluded locations with people you don’t know. Stay in groups when walking around at night and stick to well-lit paths.

The Association of Independent Festivals Safer Spaces at Festivals campaign encourages festival goers to play an active role in promoting safety, with three key messages:

1. Zero Tolerance to Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is never ok. If you or any of your friends experience this kind of behaviour you should report it immediately and know that it will be taken very seriously by police and event organisers. It doesn’t matter if you are intoxicated, you will be listened to and given the support you need.

2. Hands Off Unless Consent

Consent means agreeing to do something. When it comes to sex, this means someone agreeing to take part in a sexual activity. Any form of sexual contact without consent is illegal whatever the age of the people involved. If you do not give consent and a person still engages in a sexual act, this is sexual assault or rape. Legally speaking, people who are drunk or under the influence of drugs can’t consent to any kind of sexual activity. Remember you shouldn’t ever feel pressured into any kind of sexual activity. It’s ok to say no or change your mind.

3. Be an Active Bystander

If you witness any kind of sexual assault don’t just ignore it. An active bystander is someone who responds effectively to harmful behaviour and provides support. Be a friendly face in the crowd and help look after each other.

The 5 Ds of how to be an active bystander:

DIRECT – directly intervene in the situation

DISTRACT – take an indirect approach to deescalate the situation and interrupt what is happening

DELEGATE – get help from someone else to intervene

DOCUMENT the situation as it is happening

DELAY – after the incident has happened check in with the person who was harmed.

Safety and protection is important, but there also needs to be a focus on the cause and prevention of harassment and assault.

Spiking

Spiking is when someone puts alcohol or other drugs into a person’s drink or body without their knowledge or consent. Someone may be spiked by an individual who is trying to incapacitate them in order to commit a crime including sexual assault or robbery.

The most coming substance used to spike people is alcohol but people can also be spiked with illegal or prescription drugs.

According to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 spiking someone with the intention of overpowering them to enable sexual activity is a serious criminal offence which carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years, whether or not an assault actually took place.

Drink & Drug Driving

If you are the nominated driver you need to be fit and capable to drive you and your mates home safely. If you are stopped by police, they have tests for drink and drug driving. If you test positive, you could get a fine, a ban and even a prison sentence. Worse still, if you are involved in an accident you could seriously injure or kill someone.

One in five convicted drink drivers are caught the ‘morning after the night before’ so make sure you leave enough time to sober up before you have to drive. If you have been drinking until very late, you might feel ok in the morning, but could still be over the legal alcohol limit. There is no way to get rid of alcohol any faster; having a coffee, a shower or other ways of ‘sobering up’ are myths.

Also during festivals, In India, belief in black magic and paranormal healing is fairly common. During the course of my reporting, covering multiple states for over six months this year, I repeatedly encountered an unquestioned belief in devils, demons, ghosts, djinns and evil spirits. A recent Pew Research Centre survey on Indian religious practices revealed that nearly half of the Indian population believe in angels and spirits, 71 percent believe in purification by the Ganges, 38 percent in reincarnation, 76 percent in karma and 70 percent in fate. These beliefs are shared across religious groups, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs.

Superstition pervades families across India, irrespective of geography, educational status or religious proclivities. This often manifest itself in quotidian ways. When someone buys a house or a new car, they might invite priests to perform rituals. Some might not eat non-vegetarian food on particular days of the week. Most households depend on astrological predictions to decide upon major life events, including marriage and career choices. These practices are believed to ward off evil or invite good luck. Godmen—a loose term that includes sadhus, gurus and tantriks—flourish in this environment.

For many, superstitions are a way to cope with uncertainty, to feel like they can control uncertain events. Vinod Shirsath, the editor of Sadhana, a socialist Marathi weekly, told me that since superstition is based on a false belief, it invokes either confidence or fear. For instance, the belief that “I can ace this exam if I take blessings of a certain godman” inspires confidence. The same thought can also instil fear: “If I do not take the blessing of a certain godman, I will fail.” Many godmen know how to exploit these sentiments.

Identifying something as a superstition generally gives it a pejorative hue. Yet many superstitious beliefs, because long and deeply held, are also considered integral parts of religious faith and granted the protections attached to it. This is true not just within Hinduism, but also in Christian, Islamic and tribal belief systems. Superstitions begin to seem less banal particularly when they fuel prejudices prevalent within communities. Superstitious beliefs often provide legitimacy to oppression and injustice, acting as a way to maintain the status quo in a society, villainise minorities and women, or to keep people in their places. On the darker end of this spectrum are superstition-based crimes, which can involve human sacrifice and allegations of witchcraft.

The National Crime Records Bureau started collecting data on human sacrifice and witch-hunting as motives for murder in 2013, but stopped within two years. Even in that period, thousands of such crimes were recorded. The full spread and growth of such superstition-based crimes is unclear, but anecdotal evidence and the frequency with which such cases are reported in local newspapers suggest that they are flourishing. Godmen, many of whom believe in black magic and practice superstitious rituals, are getting more organised and growing in public stature.

Where there is superstition, there is also a battle against it. But, while India has a lineage of rationalists and sceptics, the murders of its leading icons demonstrate how imperilled these figures are. Narendra Dabholkar, a rationalist who was among those demanding a stringent anti-superstition law, was assassinated in the run-up to the 2014 general elections, in which the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi was elected prime minister. Within a year of Modi taking office, the rationalist Govind Pansare was also assassinated in Maharashtra, and another rationalist, MM Kalburgi, was assassinated in Karnataka. A police investigation found that Kalburgi’s statements made during a discussion on an anti-superstition bill were perceived as “anti-Hindu,” and had been the trigger for the attack on him.

The growing acceptability of such rituals in the public sphere leaves the door open for superstitious beliefs to proliferate in the new India. As I saw in the course of my arrested soon after, and charged with murder and voluntarily causing hurt, as well as criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

Conclusion:

A festival is a community and we all need to play a part in keeping each other safe. Stick with your mates and look after each other. Make sure that no one is left to walk home alone at night.

Just like in any nightclub, bar or pub, be aware and remain alert so that you don’t become a target.