The tour was collaborative project between the IRCTC and JK Higher Education Council, funded by the JK Admin with an expenditure of Rs 4.8 crore
Mumbai: During a recent tour, around 500 college girls from Jammu and Kashmir found themselves in a distressing situation at a hotel in Mumbai after they discovered alarming reviews referencing a potential sex racket within the hotel premises, Times of India reported.
The journey for these students began aboard the Gyanodaya Express, also known as the college on wheels, departing from Katra in Jammu on November 19 and reaching Mumbai after a five-day journey.
The Royal Palms Hotel in Mumbai’s Goregaon, where 500 students were accommodated, proved to be an unsettling experience.
Initially, the students found the rooms dirty and malodorous; however, their unease escalated when they discovered alarming reviews referencing a potential sex racket within the hotel premises, and this they came to know after they further exacerbated by the discovery of explicit photos on an employee’s phone.
Professor Rajesh Singh, accompanying the students, told the TOI, “A total of 500 students were put up at Royal Palms Hotel in Goregaon, and others were given rooms in a hotel in Saki Naka. However, dinner arrangements were made for all students at Royal Palms.”
Comparing the hotel unfavourably to their experiences in Delhi and Ahmedabad, Singh elaborated, “The rooms were stinky. The bed sheets had stains and made the students extremely uncomfortable.” The students had already searched for reviews online, causing alarm when they stumbled upon reports of a sex racket being busted at Royal Palms.
The dining situation added to their woes, with arrangements meant for 100 instead of the 800 students, causing chaos during dinner.
To make matters worse, the lights went out for 20-25 minutes, initially assumed to be a power failure. However, it was later revealed that the lights were intentionally turned off to remove individuals involved in questionable activities.
A confrontation ensued with the staff, during which an employee began recording the incident. In the process of retrieving the mobile, the students discovered nude photos, heightening their anxiety, the report said.
Requests for mattresses were denied, forcing the students to consider sleeping in the corridor. Professor Singh told the newspaper, “We had a torrid experience, and none of us could sleep the whole night.”
The tour is a collaborative project between the IRCTC and the J&K Higher Education Council, funded by the JK administration with an expenditure of Rs 4.8 crore.
In response to the situation, IRCTC chairman and managing director Seema Kumar assured the newspaper that strict action will be taken against not only the contractor but also our employees.
