Foreigners, women tourists in particular, say they still feel safe in Gokarna. Last week’s alleged police brutality on some tourists here doesn’t seem to have affected either their opinion of Karnataka as a destination or local businesses.
On Monday morning, Laura Albert from the US was reading a book at a cafe overlooking the Kudle beach in Gokarna. Into her second week of stay here, Laura prefers Gokarna to Goa. “I have no reason to fear the police or people here. This place is peaceful compared with Goa, which is a bit crowded. I still feel safe and I haven’t spotted a policeman questioning anybody,” she said.
Around 10 days ago, a few tourists, including women had complained of an attack by the local police on foreign tourists on February 14 night and the following morning.
They alleged that around 200 foreign tourists, who had gathered in a forest area near the beach to make a campfire, were beaten up when they refused to pay bribes.
Laura, who was not part of the incident but has signed a petition on behalf the victims seeking action against the police, still condemns the police action. “It was shocking. Whatever the reason, they should have handled it better instead of beating up women,” she said.
The incident went viral on social media. “I am aware of the incident. But I hope nothing bad happens as I haven’t experienced anything bad on my previous visits,” a tourist from Germany, who arrived on Sunday night said.
A police officer at the Gokarna police station said no case has been registered against foreigners so far, and they are unlikely to do so as it would affect tourism.
“Booking a case against them will only complicate matters. We cannot arrest all the 100 plus tourists who were partying loudly, some of whom were drunk and under the influence of drugs,” he said. However, a case has been booked against Varun Harilullahaling from Mumbai, for illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
The officer, on condition of anonymity, said: “If they were really hurt, they should have got treatment at the nearby hospital and produced proof. The photos posted on Facebook are fake.”
The police justify the lathicharge saying they had no other option but to disperse the crowd who were allegedly in a drunken state.
“The incident is unfortunate. If the police behave this way, we would certainly not like to visit here again,” said a tourist from Italy.
Ammann Michael from Austria said: “Since I do not drink and smoke (on the beach) it should not concern me much.”
Owners of the lodges and restaurants are tight-lipped but a cook, Binay Yadav at Poornima Cafe behind which the incident occurred said: “After the incident, one Patrick, who was staying here for the past four months left without paying bills. He owes us around Rs 22,000.”