Dance Reel at Batadrava Than Sparks Backlash; Woman Says She Didn’t Know It was Holy Site

A video showing a young woman performing a dance to a Hindi song at the Srimanta Sankardeva Abirbhav Kshetra in Assam's Batadrava Than has triggered public outrage after it surfaced on social media.

The dance, as part of her social media reel, was reportedly done in front of the Guru Asana and the sacred khol, which many consider deeply disrespectful.

The Srimanta Sankardeva Abirbhav Kshetra is located at the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva in Nagaon’s Batadrava and is considered one of the most sacred sites for followers of the Vaishnavite tradition in Assam. The cultural project, which many people had long awaited, was inaugurated on December 29 by Union Home Minister Home Minister Amit Shah.

Soon after the video surfaced on social media, it went viral and drew strong reactions from various sections of society. Conscious netizens criticised the use of a holy place for making social media reels, stating that such locations should be treated with dignity and respect.

Following the backlash, the woman involved, identified as Yesminara Begum, came forward and issued an apology through a video posted on Facebook. In the video, she sought forgiveness for her actions and said she was unaware that the place was the birthplace of Srimanta Sarkardeva and was a holy site. She expressed regret and appealed to the public to pardon her mistake.

Also Read: Amit Shah Inaugurates ₹227-Crore Batadrava Than Redevelopment in Assam’s Nagaon