In India, there are more and more tourist attractions where selfies are prohibited. Regional authorities are trying to protect photo lovers from themselves. Selfies around the world are becoming a deadly pastime, but India is leading the way.
The Indian state of Goa has imposed a ban on selfies. Not everywhere, though: now there are 24 zones on beaches, cliffs and bathing places along the Arabian Sea coast where it is officially forbidden to take selfies. The state authorities are thus trying to protect careless tourists from the danger they expose themselves to in the pursuit of a beautiful picture. Now the six million tourists visiting Goa every year will be confronted with signs warning them not to take selfies in these areas.
The reason for the ban was the deaths of two tourists from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on June 17. The two tragic incidents were unrelated, but the deaths were similar: they had both tried to clamber over the rocks out into the ocean, but were washed away by a wave, and drowned.
There have been signs warning of the dangers of cliff-climbing before. However, tourists tend to ignore them.
The official bans are designed to protect tourists, indifferent to the warnings of knowledgeable people, from themselves: since they do not understand the dangers of climbing on the rocks above the sea, they will have to not be allowed there.
According to Newsweek, police at the popular Calangute Beach are even considering introducing a 24-hour rescue service that will catch selfie lovers both in the early morning and late evening, when the beaches are empty.
India holds the record for the number of tragic deaths due to attempted selfies. At least that was the case in 2016, when a study showed that 76 people died here between 2014 and 2016. The most dangerous things for photo lovers are heights, water, or vehicles. Sometimes the death toll is almost massive – for example, in 2014, during a boat ride on a lake in Maharashtra, 10 people flipped their boat in an attempt to take spectacular selfies, killing seven of them.
Goa is not the first state to introduce selfie-free zones. In 2016, authorities in Mumbai, the administrative center of the state of Maharashtra, declared 15 areas popular with tourists dangerous for those who want to take pictures of themselves. The Marin Drive promenade and Chowpati Beach were among them. This decision was made after an 18-year-old girl fell into the water and could not be saved while trying to take a spectacular picture.
The incident almost coincided with another incident where three girls fell into the sea in the Bandra area – they were also trying to take selfies. A passerby helped two of them to reach the shore, while the third one drowned. The rescuer of the girls also died – his body was found two days later in one of the bays surrounding Mumbai.
Earlier, in 2015, the Mumbai authorities had banned selfies at a Hindu festival because they could provoke a stampede. “No Selfies Zone” signs were posted at two of the festival’s venues.
Sometimes seemingly innocent places can be dangerous for selfies. In September 2015, a Japanese tourist who tried to take pictures at the Taj Mahal died in India. It is assumed that the traveler slipped on the steps, fell and hit his head.
In 2017, a real campaign against selfies broke out in the state of Karnataka. It was prompted by a tragic incident that happened to a group of college students at a temple dedicated to Hanuman, the Indian monkey god, located 30 kilometers from Bangalore. The students came here as a group to devote themselves to tidying up the temple. After they cleaned and cleaned it, the teenagers rushed to swim in the pond. It ended in tragedy: one of the boys drowned. It later turned out that a group selfie, taken by the other boys, clearly showed the head of their drowning friend. However, engrossed in posing, they did not pay any attention to this.