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A viral video shared by Mumbai-based assistant professor Janvi has reignited concerns over trade unionism in Kerala. Janavi alleged that taxi drivers in popular tourist destination Munnar in Idukki district had threatened her for booking an Uber cab.
Following the outcry, Munnar police registered a suo motu FIR against two drivers and initiated a probe against two policemen who did not help the woman in distress.
TNM has found that the taxi drivers were using an interpretation of a High Court order to threaten online cabs. Drivers in Munnar meanwhile say tourism has dipped after the landslide, and with no railway station or airport for regular pickups or drops, cheaper online taxis are cutting into their only source of livelihood.
“I loved Kerala, I loved how beautiful it was, I loved how amazing the people of Kerala were. But I don’t think I’ll be able to come back to a place where I’m not allowed to feel safe,” said Janvi, in her video.
In the video posted on October 31, she recounted how a group of men identifying themselves as taxi drivers blocked her Uber cab and threatened both her and the driver for using an online taxi service. “Our Airbnb host casually told us that there are no Uber or Ola pickups allowed in Munnar. Not that they are not available, they are not allowed. We had already booked the cab. We asked him why. He told us that it’s because of the union,” Janvi said in her post.
The Idukki police took action, arresting two taxi drivers under sections 126(2) (criminal intimidation), 351(2) (wrongful restraint), and 3(5) (Common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
District Police Chief KM Sabu Mathew also suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector Saju Paulose and Grade SI George Kurian of the Munnar police station for failing to respond promptly to the woman’s complaint.
The officer told the media that further departmental action would follow based on a detailed report from the Munnar Deputy Superintendent of Police. The arrested drivers have been identified as Vinayakan (44) and Vijayakumar (41), both residents of Munnar, while a search is underway for a third accused.
Janvi said she was later compelled to travel in another taxi. “I was being forced to go with someone who had threatened us just a few minutes earlier, a person I did not feel safe with at all. I kept raising this issue, telling the police and everyone around that I did not feel safe with these people,” she added.
The FIR notes, “On 30-11-2025, a young woman named Janvi, who had come to visit Munnar, was allegedly stopped near the Munnar KSRTC bus stand by a group of men claiming to be taxi drivers while she was boarding an Uber taxi to leave. They threatened her and said she would not be allowed to leave unless she hired one of their vehicles.”
2016 Court order
Janvi also referred to a 2016 Kerala High Court order. In its judgment dated 2016, December 17, the court made it clear that online taxi services such as Uber and Ola “have every right to drop and pick up commuters from the airport, railway station and bus stand.”
The court further observed, “The above shall not be obstructed by any other taxi drivers lest it infringes Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India.” However, it noted with concern that the order was “more often than not honoured by its breach,” pointing out that online taxi services were often disrupted by local taxi and autorickshaw drivers, while the police remained “a mute witness to these incidents”.
The drivers, citing the same High Court order, claimed that Ola and Uber are permitted to pick up and drop passengers only at the airport, railway station, and bus stand. They pointed out that many tourists prefer online taxi services for airport or railway station trips because they are cheaper.
“We usually charge around Rs 4,500 for a trip to the airport, while Uber and Ola charge only about Rs 2,500. Naturally, tourists choose them. But they also get a return trip, whereas we don’t,” said Andrews, a 30-year-old automobile engineering graduate and member of the Munnar Taxi Drivers Association.
Andrews added that taxi unions often step in when online cabs operate in the area. “We never disturb guests. We only communicate this to the online taxi drivers,” he said, adding that they charge fares fixed by the government.
“Here, there is no railway station or airport nearby, not even a proper bus stand. In cities, it’s not a big issue as other drivers can easily find trips. But in Munnar, our livelihood depends entirely on tourists,” said Sumesh Kumar, chairperson of the Kannan Devan Tea All Taxi Protection Group (KDTATPG), an association of taxi, auto, and jeep drivers in the region.
A driver from Wayanad shared similar concerns. “After the Wayanad landslide, very few tourists visit now. Even when a few do, we lose trips to online taxis,” said Hamsa, who has been driving in Wayanad for over 20 years.
It was in 2021 that Justice Devan Ramachandran of the Kerala High Court remarked that the state “has a reputation for militant trade unionism.” While earlier, Ola and Uber drivers often faced threats at airports and railway stations, the intensity of such incidents has since reduced. However, in Munnar, the problem remains severe.
“In Ernakulam railway station, we can now pick up passengers a little away from the entrance, even though that wasn’t allowed. At the airport too, it’s not a big issue anymore. But in Munnar, they make a huge fuss. Usually, we ask passengers to come to a secluded spot where there are no local drivers, but sometimes they spot us and assault the drivers first,” said Manaf, an Uber driver from Kochi.