What added to their Canacona sojourn was the ugly confrontation with irate locals, who rejected the feeble explanation by some worried women tourists that the bottle had been thrown by a child, in a desperate bid to prevent the male tourists from getting into trouble.
According to reports, the incident took place when a tourist bus (GA-08 U-6257) of a hotel in Colva (Salcete) was carrying a group of tourists from Kolkata back from Palolem beach.
On reaching the Agonda-Palolem junction, an empty whiskey bottle was flung out of the bus which hit an oncoming motorcyclist, Ulhas Pagi (29) of Palolem near Char-Rasta. Pagi lost control of the motorcycle, but managed to avoid falling into a nearby field. He suffered a head injury and was bleeding profusely.
The alert bus driver, who apparently noticed the bottle flying from his bus and hitting the motorcyclist, immediately stopped the bus. He along with some onlookers ran to attend to Pagi who was later shifted to the Canacona Community Health Centre, Chaudi.
Soon, a large crowd gathered and confronted the tourists in the bus. Worried about the consequences, some women along with a few children alighted from the bus while the men remained seated. They made an incredulous claim that a child had accidentally thrown the bottle out.
Agitated locals ridiculed the explanation and asked the women if the child had been drinking whiskey in the bus. Unable to respond to the question, the women, however, continued to strongly defend the intoxicated men, who kept sitting in the bus and requested that the bus be allowed to return to Colva.
Refusing to accept their explanation, the locals entered into a heated argument with the tourists, who refused to accept their misdemeanour and identify the person who had flung the bottle.
As tempers ran high, a team of policemen reached the site and collected details from the driver and then directed him to bring all the tourists to the police station.
Later speaking to Herald, a police official stated that the matter was compromised by the two groups and no police complaint had been filed.
