THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: While Kerala has been relatively free from onion-related untoward incidents, the attack on a hotel on Sunday night indicated that things could go terribly wrong if the salad staple is denied to customers in restaurants.
A restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram was vandalised by a group of youths for denying them onion. A worker sustained serious head injuries in the attack and was hospitalised.
The members of the group that rampaged the restaurant were all allegedly drunk at the time of the incident. Even though onion was provided to them along with food, the trouble began when they demanded more.
The hotel workers expressed their inability to provide onion citing scarcity due to high prices, the youths got enraged and vandalised the hotel. They smashed the head of a worker with frying pan.
“The customers insisted on getting onion. We pleaded with them but none of that worked. They abused us and threatened with dire consequences. The glass enclosure was smashed,” said the owner.
As seen in movies, the police arrived on the spot after the assailants fled the scene. Meanwhile, police have launched a hunt to nab the culprits.
Also, ulli vada or onion pakoda, a popular evening snack in Kerala tea stalls, has disappeared from the shelves of most tea stalls after the price hike. In place of onions, many tea stalls have started selling cabbage pakodas.
