Gumatapura: US-based YouTuber Tyler Oliveira is under fire for posting a video in which he participated in a festival in a Karnataka village, during which people throw cow dung at each other to mark the end of Diwali.
The video, which went viral on X, drew criticism from social media users who accused Tyler Oliveira of mocking a tradition and ignoring its religious and traditional importance.
Netizens accused the YouTuber of mocking a sacred cultural ritual and ignoring its deep religious and traditional significance. Following the backlash, Tyler Oliveira apologised and said, "I'm sorry India."
The 25-year-old YouTuber claimed his video was being censored and mass-reported by Indian users. Responding to the the baklash, he defended himself, saying, “It isn’t racist to film a poop-throwing festival."
In the viral video, Oliveira filmed his participation in the Gorehabba festival in Gumatapura village, where villagers throw dried cow dung at each other.
The viral clip shows Oliveira dressed in a hazmat suit and goggles, filming himself amid a crowd of festival revellers covered in cow dung.
The video was posted on Thursday. According to local belief, the village's deity, Beereshwara Swamy was born from cow dung, and the festival honours this legend by having believers throw cow dung at one another.
In his latest post on X, Oliveira attempted to address the backlash by apologising to Indians. Alongside a tweet post saying, “Study found that Indians are actually way more than people in the United States.”
A user on X claimed that ISI-linked companies are funding Western tourists’ trips to India to spread propaganda and tarnish India’s image abroad.
