Murals Of Women In Yoga Poses Defaced With Vulgar Scratches In Gwalior, Sparks Outrage

A disturbing act of vandalism has sparked concern and debate in Gwalior, a city designated as a Smart City in Madhya Pradesh. Women's yoga silhouettes painted as murals along a roadside wall in the city were deliberately defaced with disturbing scratches and marks. The damage specifically targets the faces and bodies of the female figures, suggesting more than just random mischief and pointing to a deeper issue of gender-based disrespect. The clip quickly went viral, triggering public outrage and raising questions about civic sense, respect for public property. 

Notably, the murals featured simple, black silhouettes of women in various yoga poses, without faces. They were intended to beautify the city's streets and promote health and fitness as part of the "Smart City" initiative. The damage was not random vandalism. Specific portions of the figures were targeted, with scratches and marks applied to sexualise the artwork.

Watch the video here:

True civic responsibility. ❣️🍁

A boy from Gwalior stepped forward and painted over the portions of paintings that were objectifying women's private bodies. https://t.co/pOtTuIXZGx pic.twitter.com/wnSeOg5ToL

— Suraj Kumar Bauddh (@SurajKrBauddh) January 5, 2026

In response to the public outrage, a local resident took the initiative to personally repaint and restore the damaged sections of the murals. Authorities are yet to identify the culprits responsible for the defacement.

"Perverted Mindset"

Social media users widely condemned the act, calling it a reflection of a "perverted mindset" and "cheap thinking" in society. The incident has been linked to the larger issue of how women are treated and objectified in the country. Many lamented that women aren't safe, not even in their artistic portrayals on public walls.

One user wrote, "We are saying that we are free. Is this freedom? Then people are asking, "What was our girl wearing?" An animal remains an animal no matter how well trained it is." 

Another said, "Sick mentality in men and women is more aggressive and common in Hindi belt than anywhere in country."

Restoration in progress

In another update, an Instagram video revealed that the defaced murals are now being repainted from scratch. The damaged sections have been covered, and restoration work is underway to bring the artwork back to life.

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Though the repainting has been praised as a positive immediate action, many online users noted that while fixing a wall is easy, fixing mindsets is a much larger challenge. One person commented, "They should paint women again and let everybody know that respecting women is humanity. It should be mentioned on the wall that culprit can be jailed for trying to sexualize the paintings."

Another stated, "It is like.. we can't fix the cheap mindset.. so girls should stay in home or wear dupatta when stepping out. Can't find the culprits hence erase the art itself. This is more upsetting now. Until and unless they are redoing it completely, that would be nice."