During our recent trip to Chopta, Uttarakhand, we had an unsettling experience in the taxi area after completing the trek at Tungnath. The day before, I spoke to the main person in charge of the taxis, and he assured me that there would be availability for a taxi to Badrinath as long as we reached before 2:30 PM.
After finishing the trek around 2:00 PM, we collected our bags and headed straight to the taxi area. We informed one of the drivers that we needed a ride to Badrinath, and he agreed. We told him that we would leave our bags there and that once three more passengers arrived, we would be ready to go. He agreed on the charges, and we said we’d be having food nearby and to call us when the three other passengers arrived.
While we were having food, which took just around seven minutes, we decided to check on our bags. When we returned to the taxi area, we saw that the taxi we had arranged was no longer there, and our luggage was missing. We asked around, but no one seemed to have any information. Then, by chance, I spotted one of my bags in a different taxi. I rushed over, and the driver told me that the original taxi driver had left after getting other passengers, leaving our luggage behind without notifying us. Our belongings had been left there as if they were lost items, with no information given to us.
I have a videos and pictures of these people too , When we confronted the main member about what had happened and mentioned that a jacket was missing, he responded rudely, saying we had no right to talk to them that way. The taxi drivers then formed a sort of union against us, shifting us from one taxi to another with no explanation. With no other taxis available, no Ola or Uber services, and no network on our phones, we were left helpless. Despite being two women and my brother, we were shown no empathy or consideration. Instead, we were blamed for the situation, and they refused to take any responsibility.
We were forced to wait for an hour and a half in freezing 1°C weather without our jackets, and the drivers continued to show no sense of apology or humanity. When we asked again why this happened, one of them arrogantly said, “How dare you speak to us like this in Uttarakhand?”
We had come to Uttarakhand seeking blessings from Tungnath Temple, not to be cheated or disrespected. It’s deeply disappointing that as travelers coming to a place known for its spiritual significance, we were treated with such disregard. Our only request was for basic human decency, which we did not receive.
