Tourists attacked in Munnar: Tamil Nadu police registers case after Collector intervenes

Munnar: Police have registered a case following an alleged assault on tourists from Varkala who had arrived in Munnar on Tuesday(May 19) for sightseeing. As per complaints, they were attacked by roadside vendors and taxi drivers alleging that the tourist's vehicle had halted on the roadside. The incident took place at the Munnar Top station tourism destination. The case was booked by the Tamil Nadu Kurangani Police after the complainants approached the Theni District Collector, as police initially refused to register the complaint, saying that Top Station's borders are shared by both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. A child was reportedly injured in the assault.

What the complaint says
According to the complaint, the clash began over a dispute about halting the tourist bus on the roadside. The attackers allegedly assaulted the bus driver, prompting some passengers to intervene. However, the violence escalated, and the group allegedly attacked tourists, including women and children.

The assailants reportedly damaged the bus using iron rods and wooden sticks, smashing its windows. A 12-year-old boy sustained injuries to his neck after being struck by a thorned wire during the attack. 

Collector's intervention
The Devikulam Police reached the spot and rescued the passengers. However, since Top Station lies along the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, confusion over jurisdiction delayed the registration of the case. Police sources said it takes nearly one-and-a-half hours to reach Top Station from Devikulam, which is about 45 kilometres away.

The victims later approached the Kurangani Police Station in Theni district, Tamil Nadu, but police there too initially declined to register the case, citing border issues. The complainants then approached the Theni District Collector, following whose intervention the Kurangani Police registered a case.

Sections invoked
Police have currently invoked sections related to unlawful assembly and assault. Officials also stated that since the accused fall under the jurisdiction of the Devikulam Police Station, the complaint will be forwarded to the Kerala Police as well, for further action.

The tourists' experience
Varkala native A Archana, who was on the vehicle that was attacked at the Munnar Top Station, said that the 68-member group she was travelling with was subjected to brutal assault, verbal abuse and threats by roadside vendors. 

Archana said the group had reached Top Station in Munnar amid heavy traffic congestion. The driver had planned to drop the passengers there first and park the vehicle further uphill. However, as the group began to break down, a man approached them and shouted at the driver, demanding that he move the vehicle immediately and have the passengers get back in. “He kept saying this was a 'different place' (one that would fetch trouble) and that we could not stop there,” she said.

Archana said the group tried to explain that their vehicle could move only after the traffic ahead cleared. “But that immediately triggered a barrage of abuses. They started banging violently on the vehicle, and when the driver responded, more people were called in. All of a sudden, a group arrived carrying wooden sticks and rods and began attacking the vehicle. Many of us were assaulted. One child even sustained a neck injury from the thorns attached to one of the sticks. I have never in my life gone through such a terrifying experience,” she said.

Archana added that poor mobile connectivity in the area made it difficult to seek help. “They even tried to snatch the phone of one of our group members who was recording the incident. Women standing with them were also hurling abuses at us. In fact, it was the women who handed over sticks and rods to the attackers and urged them to beat us,” Archana recalled.

According to her, a local resident eventually helped the group contact the police by connecting a phone to Wi-Fi. “We first called the Munnar police station and were later directed to the Devikulam station, after which the police arrived. The police helped us as much as they could. But even then, the attackers kept threatening us, shouting that if we moved the vehicle, they would assault us all the way to Echo Point,” she said.