Thrissur:

A foreign vlogger couple, known for their viral travel videos, has alleged that they faced sexual harassment at the iconic Thrissur Pooram in Kerala which concluded last week.

American-English vlogger couple Mackenzie and Keenan posted in their Instagram page yesterday a video that shows a man attempting to forcefully kiss Mackenzie after talking to her.

The high-octane Thrissur Pooram was held on April 19 in this central Kerala city.

The video, titled ‘Questionable Moments at Thrissur Pooram’ also showed Keenan saying a man in his 50s sexually assaulted him and that the vlogger had to push him away.

Meanwhile, Kerala police said they have not received any complaint from them in this regard.

“We have not received any complaints in this regard until now,” police said, adding that an accused man in the video has been identified.

In the video, the couple said the people there were a bit frisky.

The narration in the video said they had a wonderful time at Thrissur Pooram, but there were also “some questionable moments”.

The video showed a man, who was interviewed by Mackenzie for her social media pages, attempting to kiss her forcefully and she pushing him away. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Fireworks on the occasion of Thrissur Pooram festival on April 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Fireworks enthusiasts who thronged Thrissur city in Kerala from far and near to watch the magnificent pyrotechnics show as part of Thrissur Pooram were disappointed on April 20 (Saturday).

Protests over police restrictions at Thekkinkadu maidan delayed the iconic Thrissur Pooram fireworks for more than four hours. As a result, the colourful fireworks, one of the most sought-after pyrotechnics shows in Kerala, was forced to display in the daylight, reducing it to a mere show of smoke and sound.

The Paramekkavu Devaswom kicked off the fireworks display around 7 a.m. on Saturday. The Thiruvambadi Devaswom show followed.

Minor clashes

The problem started when the police stopped people from entering the Thekkinkadu maidan using barricades during the Madathil Varavu procession (night pooram) around 11 p.m. Minor clashes occurred between the police and the people. The Thiruvambadi Devaswom decided to call off the Pooram in protest against police restrictions and switched off the lights at its ‘poorapanthal’ at Naikanal and Naduvilal.

There was commotion at the Paramekkavu procession too due to police restrictions.

Confusion prevailed over the pyrotechnics show as the Thiruvambadi Devaswom refused to budge. All this time, lakhs of people were waiting with bated breath.

Later, the stalemate was over after many rounds of discussions for over four hours following the intervention of Revenue Minister K. Rajan.

The fireworks, which was earlier scheduled to start at 3 a.m., eventually commenced at 7 a.m. without the usual sheen and colour.

Though rains have played spoilsport before, it is for the first time in history that Thrissur Pooram fireworks were delayed due to administrative reasons.