E-Paper
Bus ferrying 11 Karnataka college students chased, vandalised by local youths on Ghoti-Trimbakeshwar road
A group of 11 college students from Karnataka had a harrowing experience when the tempo traveller they were travelling in was chased and vandalised by a group of local youths in the Ghoti area of rural Nashik on August 8
A group of 11 college students from Karnataka had a harrowing experience when the tempo traveller they were travelling in was chased and vandalised by a group of local youths in the Ghoti area of rural Nashik on August 8. The incident occurred after 5.30 pm on the Ghoti-Trimbakeshwar road and comes barely a month after a Nashik-based family was heckled and their car chased for nearly 20 km on the Mumbai-Nashik highway by a group of locals near Igatpuri. Ghoti, a popular tourist destination, is just 5 km from Igatpuri.
Of the 11 students, nine are from Shivamogga, one from Bengaluru, and one from Chikmagalur. The group had been on a week-long trip to Maharashtra since August 2, visiting tourist destinations in Raigad, Sindhudurg, Mahabaleshwar and Ahilyanagar before heading to Harihar fort near Ghoti.
Recalling the ordeal, one of the students, Mallikarjun Gowda, told Hindustan Times that two local youths on a motorcycle stopped their vehicle when they were returning from Harihar fort, apparently annoyed after their driver honked and tried to overtake them.
“Once the tempo traveller stopped, the youths abused the driver and broke the mirror beside his seat. They also damaged the rear bumper and the luggage carrier on the roof. About 5 km ahead, we saw at least 15 local youths, apparently friends of the two men, blocking the road. They forced our driver out of the bus and thrashed him over the earlier altercation,” Gowda said.
The driver managed to get back into the tempo traveller, and sped away. “Looking back, we saw around 15-20 youths on motorcycles chasing our vehicle. They continued to give chase for nearly 20 km. We all panicked and locked the doors of our tempo traveller from inside,” Gowda said.
Luckily, the driver chanced upon a team of policemen checking vehicles on the Ghoti-Trimbakeshwar road, stopped the tempo traveller, and informed them about the goings-on. The police then escorted the vehicle with the students and driver to Ghoti police station.
“We remained at the police station throughout the night. The police also provided us with food. We left Ghoti at around 5 am on Sunday and reached Shivamogga at around 9 pm. We never thought we would face such a bitter experience in Maharashtra,” Gowda said.
Vijay Shinde, police inspector, Ghoti police station, said that four local youths have been arrested in connection with the incident.
“We have identified six more local youths who will also be arrested for their involvement in the incident. Initially, the students’ driver was unwilling to lodge a complaint but we convinced him to so that action could be taken. Such an incident involving tourists has not occurred in the Ghoti area before,” Shinde said.
