Kozhikode: The hartal on Saturday was a shocking experience for 24 Germans on a tour of south India. They called off their Kerala trip and moved to Mysuru on Sunday.
Twelve doctors and their spouses were travelling from Kochi to Kozhikode on Saturday, when three hartal supporters threw stones at their vehicle near Ponnani in Malappuram district.
The youngsters travelled ahead of them in a bike and pelted stones, said Sejoe Jose, who runs Marvel Tours. Sejoe, who is also the president of Indian Association of Tour Operators, said.
“The driver of the vehicle suffered an eye injury after the broken glass pieces fell on him in the impact of the stone pelting. Since the travellers were doctors, they could immediately attend to him and his eyesight was saved. We did not want to affect the schedule of the tourists, so sent them to Mysuru. However, I have decided to fight it legally,” said Sejoe.
Sejoe said that he would decide on the future course of action against such unwarranted incidents after a meeting with his peers in the industry body on Monday.
“Political parties have made it clear that tourists have been exempted from hartal-related blockades. Despite that why are such incidents happening. This is alarming,” he said.
The tourists landed in Chennai on November 9 and visited Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Tanjore, Madurai, Thekkady and Kumarakom before moving to Kochi on Friday. After visiting Kochi, they started for Kozhikode on Saturday. They took out the tour after the promise from the government that the tourists would be exempted during the hartal.
This was the first India tour for them, and all of them were in a state of shock. “We informed the police in Ponnani and they soon came to the spot and accompanied the tourists to Kozhikode,” added Sejoe.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi observed a dawn-to-dusk hartal on Saturday, in protest against the arrest of its state president K P Sasikala at Sabarimala.
