A man on a trip to Goa claimed he was assaulted and verbally abused, vowing to never return to the popular tourist destination. In a long post on social media, the man said the locals harassed and beat him near Madgaon railway station over a traffic dispute.
The man recounted his ordeal in a Reddit post titled “Got physically abused in Goa, will probably never come back.” He said he rented a car for his trip and was on the way to catch a train from Madgaon station after dropping his girlfriend at the airport.
“I went with my girlfriend this time and rented a car cause we didn’t want to drive a scooty in this scorching heat. While going back, I dropped her at the airport (GOI) and I was going to Madgaon for my train,” he said.
Driving towards the station, he said he apparently “cut” two local men on a two-wheeler, though he insisted there was no contact between the vehicles. “No bump, no scratches, our vehicles did not touch, and frankly I didn’t even cut him,” he wrote.
The men allegedly followed him to the railway station, blocked his car and threatened to smash his windshield. “One guy got off, picked up a stone and threatened to break the windshield if I didn’t open the window,” he wrote.
When he opened the window, the man said he was punched repeatedly and verbally abused by them. “The moment I opened it, he punched me straight up. His other friend was just standing and both were abusing me about me being from outside,” the man wrote. He added that all this was happening when he just had a few minutes left to return the car and board his train.
“Finally, some locals helped me leave and I barely was able to return the car and get to the train. This was so horrible I haven’t even processed it fully yet,” he wrote.
The experience has left him disturbed. “I hate Goa now because of this and has scarred all the good times I had,” he added.
He has since expressed his intent to file a police complaint, although he was unable to capture footage of the attackers or their vehicle.
This incident sparked safety concerns among other users in Goa.
One user commented, “I am gutted. I have loved Goa since my college days. I visit once every two year. Last I visited was in 2023 and it was a lot of fun. Have things really gotten so bad since? From what I keep hearing about Goa online, I don’t think I will visit anymore.”
There was no confirmation if the visitor lodged any formal complaint.