Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 3 — In a swift response to the viral video showing a woman tourist being harassed by local taxi drivers in Munnar, Kerala Police on Monday suspended two officials and arrested two taxi drivers, identified as Vinayakan and Vijayakumar.
The incident, which has triggered massive outrage on social media, prompted the state government to pledge stricter measures to ensure the safety of tourists visiting the popular hill station.
The video, originally posted by Janvi, a Mumbai-based assistant professor, captured a group of local taxi drivers intimidating her and her friends for booking an online cab instead of using local taxis near the KSRTC bus stand on October 30. The drivers, reportedly opposed to app-based taxi services, allegedly blocked the tourists’ vehicle and threatened that they would not be allowed to continue their journey unless they hired a local taxi.
Janvi alleged that when she sought police help, officers failed to intervene, appearing to support the taxi drivers instead. “We were forced to take another vehicle and eventually cut short our trip out of fear,” she said in her now-deleted post, which had already gone viral across platforms.
Amid growing public criticism, the Munnar police registered a suo motu case under Sections 126(2), 351(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, dealing with wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation. Initially, the FIR did not name any accused, but police have since identified three drivers, two of whom are in custody, while efforts are on to nab the third.
Tourism Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas described the incident as “deeply unfortunate” and assured that steps would be taken to prevent such occurrences in the future. The case has reignited debate over the dominance of local taxi unions and the challenges faced by app-based transport services in Kerala’s tourist hubs.
