A tourist from Mumbai, identified as Janvi, was allegedly harassed by taxi drivers in Munnar, Kerala, forcing her to cut short her trip and return home for safety.
According to reports, Janvi, an assistant professor, was stopped from using app-based taxis and was compelled to switch to a local taxi under the pretext of a “court order.”
Despite reaching out for help, she reportedly received no assistance from the police or the Kerala Tourism Department. A formal case was registered only after she shared her experience online, which quickly went viral.
Kerala Tourism and Public Works Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas called the Munnar taxi harassment incident “deeply unfortunate.”
He added, “Kerala is one of the safest tourism destinations in India. What happened in Munnar is a negative episode. Positive stories must also get attention in the media.”
In a three-minute video, Janvi narrated her ordeal, beginning with appreciation for Kerala’s scenic beauty but concluding with disappointment.
"This trip started with us going to Kochi, then to Alleppey. The people over there were extremely nice, very kind, very welcoming and then I decided to go to Munnar. A decision that has changed the way that I will always remember this trip," she said.
Janvi mentioned that her BnB host in Munnar had casually warned her that app-based taxi pickups were “not allowed”, not just “unavailable,” citing pressure from local taxi unions.
"He (host) basically warned us that if we still want to go, we have to call him (driver) to a different location and then we have to meet him there and make sure that nobody notices us," she explained.
As the group began loading their bags into the cab, five to six men allegedly confronted them, threatening the online taxi driver.
"Apparently, they had been following us. They started threatening our cab driver, telling him that he can't take us... We obviously didn't understand the language, but we understood the aggression in it and started feeling extremely unsafe," Janvi said.
When she called the police for help, officers allegedly spoke only to the union members and ignored her group.
"Not a single word to us," she noted, adding that police instructed them to use a local taxi instead of their booked ride.
Janvi said she also reached out to Kerala Tourism officials but got a similar response.
"Everybody kept throwing the same sentence at us. You're not allowed. You're not allowed to decide who you travel with. You're not allowed to feel safe. You're not allowed to exercise your constitutional rights," she said in the video.
Explaining her concern as a solo female traveler, she said, “It's very easy to lodge complaints because of the cybersecurity protocols, but here I was being forced to go with somebody that was threatening us like a few minutes ago, a person that I definitely did not feel safe with.”
Janvi later checked for the alleged “court order” and found that the Kerala High Court had ruled in favor of online taxis, stating it is “the constitutional right of a customer to decide who they want to travel with.”
Expressing her disappointment, she said, "I loved Kerala. I loved how beautiful it was. I loved how amazing the people of Kerala were. But I don't think that I'll be able to come back to a place where I'm not allowed to feel safe."
The video also featured clips showing local taxi drivers confronting the online driver and police officers interacting with union members.
Following the outrage, Munnar Police registered a suo motu case on charges of wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation, and efforts are underway to record Janvi’s statement directly.
Minister Riyas emphasized that such incidents should not impact Kerala’s reputation.
"Kerala is known for its peace and hospitality. A visitor from another state should never have to face such an experience here," he said, adding that the matter will be taken up with ministers and taxi association representatives to prevent recurrence.
In recent years, similar cases have been reported in Idukki district, where local taxi unions allegedly intimidated or attacked app-based drivers, raising growing concerns over tourist safety and monopoly of local operators in the popular hill station.
According to reports, Janvi, an assistant professor, was stopped from using app-based taxis and was compelled to switch to a local taxi under the pretext of a “court order.”
Despite reaching out for help, she reportedly received no assistance from the police or the Kerala Tourism Department. A formal case was registered only after she shared her experience online, which quickly went viral.
Kerala Tourism and Public Works Minister P.A. Mohammed Riyas called the Munnar taxi harassment incident “deeply unfortunate.”
He added, “Kerala is one of the safest tourism destinations in India. What happened in Munnar is a negative episode. Positive stories must also get attention in the media.”
In a three-minute video, Janvi narrated her ordeal, beginning with appreciation for Kerala’s scenic beauty but concluding with disappointment.
"This trip started with us going to Kochi, then to Alleppey. The people over there were extremely nice, very kind, very welcoming and then I decided to go to Munnar. A decision that has changed the way that I will always remember this trip," she said.
Janvi mentioned that her BnB host in Munnar had casually warned her that app-based taxi pickups were “not allowed”, not just “unavailable,” citing pressure from local taxi unions.
"He (host) basically warned us that if we still want to go, we have to call him (driver) to a different location and then we have to meet him there and make sure that nobody notices us," she explained.
As the group began loading their bags into the cab, five to six men allegedly confronted them, threatening the online taxi driver.
"Apparently, they had been following us. They started threatening our cab driver, telling him that he can't take us... We obviously didn't understand the language, but we understood the aggression in it and started feeling extremely unsafe," Janvi said.
When she called the police for help, officers allegedly spoke only to the union members and ignored her group.
"Not a single word to us," she noted, adding that police instructed them to use a local taxi instead of their booked ride.
Janvi said she also reached out to Kerala Tourism officials but got a similar response.
"Everybody kept throwing the same sentence at us. You're not allowed. You're not allowed to decide who you travel with. You're not allowed to feel safe. You're not allowed to exercise your constitutional rights," she said in the video.
Explaining her concern as a solo female traveler, she said, “It's very easy to lodge complaints because of the cybersecurity protocols, but here I was being forced to go with somebody that was threatening us like a few minutes ago, a person that I definitely did not feel safe with.”
Janvi later checked for the alleged “court order” and found that the Kerala High Court had ruled in favor of online taxis, stating it is “the constitutional right of a customer to decide who they want to travel with.”
Expressing her disappointment, she said, "I loved Kerala. I loved how beautiful it was. I loved how amazing the people of Kerala were. But I don't think that I'll be able to come back to a place where I'm not allowed to feel safe."
The video also featured clips showing local taxi drivers confronting the online driver and police officers interacting with union members.
Following the outrage, Munnar Police registered a suo motu case on charges of wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation, and efforts are underway to record Janvi’s statement directly.
Minister Riyas emphasized that such incidents should not impact Kerala’s reputation.
"Kerala is known for its peace and hospitality. A visitor from another state should never have to face such an experience here," he said, adding that the matter will be taken up with ministers and taxi association representatives to prevent recurrence.
In recent years, similar cases have been reported in Idukki district, where local taxi unions allegedly intimidated or attacked app-based drivers, raising growing concerns over tourist safety and monopoly of local operators in the popular hill station.
