ওয়াশিংটন বাংলা রেডিও Washington Bangla Radio USA

Lucknow, July 19 (IBNS) Uttar Pradesh has been adjudged as the second most popular tourist destination in India with an annual flow of 144.8 million domestic tourists visiting the state. 

The state bagged the honour due to 17^th century monument Taj Mahal, which attracts a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to this part of India.

In two days of getting the coveted place, a Sub Inspector of Police presented a perfect example of hospitality and displayed a friendly face of the Uttar Pradesh police.

The incident might sound like a fairy tale but it happened in a small city of this north Indian state.  

On Monday, a Scottish tourist landed at Bareilly with no money in her pocket. Her visa too was expiring in a day or so.

The girl Joanna Rae approached the police for help and requested to give her a place to spend the night at the police station.

It is against the government rules to allow anyone to spend the night at the police station.

Understanding the legal constraint, Asharam, the cop on duty, went out of the way to help the girl. He requested a local hotel to accommodate the girl and not charge her for the stay. While the girl was ready to leave the next day, Asharam also gave her some money and a few other things, which she would have needed during her journey forward.

The act of Asharam indeed demands a reward because it is people like him, who help the state get recognised as a tourist destination.

However, there are people who present the flip side of the story.

Before anyone could think of lauding the behaviour of Asharam, a few unidentified men robbed a South Korean woman tourist.

The tourist Lee Yunha was travelling by a train from Varanasi towards Gorakhpur. A few men inside the compartment robbed her of her purse containing travel documents. They also snatched from her a few electronic items and some other valuables including cash.

The police are trying to find out who the culprits were whilst the girl is still trying to recoup from the shock.

While the Scottish girl will go home with fond memories of Uttar Pradesh, it became a nightmarish visit to the state for the South Korean girl.