Police in Kerala’s Kovalam force Swedish national to dispose of his booze

The police found three bottles of booze on Sweden’s Steven during a routine traffic check and forced him to dispose of them for not having a bill.

India Today’s team was on the way to Kovalam, a top tourist destination in Kerala, to see the implementation of new restrictions in place for New Year celebrations. Police checking on the road was intensive and a large fleet of vehicles were waiting in line to be inspected.A foreigner arrived on his scooter when the vehicles started moving. The vehicle was thoroughly checked, and the police found three bottles of alcohol. The police officers who spotted the bottles rather excitedly called their superiors, who were a little further away."He has three bottles on him," one of the policemen commented. They all surrounded him to inspect the bottles. They asked him for a bill.Steven, a Swedish national, has been running a homestay in Kovalam for four years now. He told the officers that he had forgotten the bill at the BEVCO outlet in Vellar. He requested that they let him go back to collect it.The officers, however, were adamant that he couldn't go back and asked him to dispose of the bottles. Instead of throwing them away, Steven poured the alcohol out of the bottles.As he reached the third bottle, the officers stopped him, having spotted the camera of the 'India Today' team. They let him go collect the bill after that. Steven soon returned with the bill and was free to go.However, the incident brings forth a major question as to how tourist-friendly Kerala is. Steven, in his four-year stay, faced several issues.“There have been incidents. I plan on staying another year though. Some police officers are really kind and friendly, but there are instances like this too,” said Steven.Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made loud promises when he said more pubs would be established in the state to boost tourism and draw more tourists in. However, if basic issues like this are not dealt with in a tourist-friendly manner, the future of Kerala tourism remains to be seen.

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