A family vacation in Manali turned into a traumatic experience for a group of tourists from Haryana after they were allegedly attacked by a group of local men in broad daylight.
One of the victims, outraged by the incident, described the experience saying, “Manali is worse than Pakistan. No one should come here. There’s no safety for tourists.” The shocking altercation, which took place on Mission Road near Hotel Boudh, has sparked widespread anger and concerns over tourist safety in the popular hill destination.
The incident occurred on Sunday, June 22, and reportedly began over a minor parking disagreement involving a scooty. The victims, from Satnali in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district, claimed that they were physically assaulted while returning from Vashisht around 5 PM. According to the First Information Report (FIR No. 99/25 dated 23/06/2025) filed at the Manali police station, the complainant, 35-year-old Pradeep, was on holiday with his wife Deepika (28), their four-month-old daughter Jiya, his brother Gopal, sister-in-law Nisha, and relatives Jainendra (36) and Asha.
As the group travelled down Mission Road on rented motorcycles, they encountered a jeep blocking the way. Pradeep said that while they waited, a man approached and demanded the keys to his scooty, claiming he needed to move it. The situation took a sharp turn when the man returned the keys and reportedly started a heated argument.
Matters escalated quickly. Pradeep alleged that the man grabbed his wife Deepika by the throat and slammed her to the ground-while she was still holding their infant daughter. The baby reportedly struck the road surface in the fall. As other family members rushed to help, three to four more men allegedly joined in and began assaulting them. The attackers also allegedly used casteist slurs and issued threats to kill.
The entire ordeal left the family not only injured but deeply shaken. Pradeep later recorded a video, now viral on social media, where he blasted the local authorities for their inaction and said, “Manali is worse than Pakistan. No one should come here. There’s no safety for tourists.” He further claimed that despite visiting the police station twice, appropriate action was not taken initially.
Following the complaint, police registered the case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 126(2), 115(2), 352, 351(2), and 3(5). The investigation has been assigned to officer Manoj Negi.
The viral video and disturbing nature of the allegations have intensified public scrutiny of safety in popular hill stations, especially during peak tourist season. Many are now questioning the readiness of destinations like Manali to protect visitors from such violent encounters.