Idukki: Kerala Transport Minister K. B. Ganesh Kumar on Tuesday said that the licences of all taxi drivers accused of harassing a Mumbai-based tourist in Munnar will be cancelled once all the culprits are apprehended.
Terming the incident as an act of “goondaism,” the minister said such behaviour had been prevalent in Munnar for some time and would no longer be tolerated. He directed the Road Transport Officers of the region to take immediate and strict action against those involved.
“It is illegal. It should not happen again,” Kumar asserted.
The incident came to light after the tourist, identified as Janvi, an assistant professor, posted a three-minute video on social media describing how she was allegedly harassed by local taxi drivers when she attempted to use an online cab service.
Janvi said her trip to Munnar was “absolutely breathtaking” but added that she would not visit Kerala again because of the incident.
In the video, she explained that as she prepared to leave Munnar, her host informed her that online taxis such as Uber and Ola were not allowed in the area due to opposition from local taxi unions. She then contacted her Uber driver and arranged to meet him at another location to avoid attention.
“While we were loading our bags, five or six men suddenly appeared. Apparently, they had been following us. They started threatening our cab driver, saying he could not take us,” she recounted.
The minister clarified that Uber had not been banned in Kerala or India and that its drivers were also workers like other taxi drivers.
“Basically, the problem is the goondaism in Munnar. This goondaism was also seen when KSRTC introduced double-decker buses. But we dealt with it legally then, and we will now handle all such issues legally,” Kumar said.
Following the incident, police registered a case under Sections 126(2) (wrongful restraint), 135(2) (criminal intimidation), and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Two taxi drivers were arrested, and two police officials were suspended on Monday in connection with the case.
According to Janvi, when she called the police for assistance, they allegedly sided with the taxi drivers instead of helping her.
With PTI inputs