Overview
- Delhi Police announced heightened deployments, border checks and preventive actions, with DCP Sachin Sharma saying teams have mapped sensitive areas and are acting against known bootleggers to ensure peaceful celebrations.
- Madhya Pradesh authorities increased checks in major cities and issued advisories on cyber fraud and harmful social media posts, while Indore police reported actions against 543 miscreants and booked 280 drunk drivers.
- Calendar differences tied to the lunar cycle and a reported eclipse window left shoppers uncertain and split some celebrations across March 3–4, with Hyderabad traders citing sales declines of up to 50% even as demand shifts toward herbal colours and new pichkaris.
- A widely shared clip from Haryana allegedly shows men forcing a cow to drink alcohol and pull a cart during Holi revelry, drawing attention to animal-abuse concerns reported each year.
- Holi’s reach spans borders with public events scheduled in London on March 4 and the weekend, while Hindu communities in Rawalpindi and Islamabad held simple temple ceremonies and community leaders renewed requests for land for a cremation ground, temple and dharamshala.