Tourist tries to shoo away local who records him kicking trash in Nainital lake; video goes viral

Travel enthusiasts are often excited to visit and explore new places—but are they also contributing to littering these destinations? This question has surfaced again after a recent video from Nainital Lake began circulating on social media.

The footage tries to capture a man, standing on a bridge, kicking litter into the waterbody below. A local, identified as Karan, pulled out his phone and confronted the tourist for polluting the area.

Karan called out the man’s behaviour, saying, “Kooda aap phek rahe ho, educated lag rahe ho par ho nahi,” pointing out the irony of someone who appears educated acting so irresponsibly.

Watch video

As Karan began filming and questioning him, the tourist initially defended himself, claiming he hadn’t done anything particularly wrong. He argued that there was already garbage all around, and he wasn’t the only one littering the premises.

Seconds later, the tourist, whose identity remains unknown, changed his tone and even tried to shoo Karan away, saying, "Tu jaata kyu nahi (Why don't you leave)."

When schooled and told he should feel ashamed for dirtying such a beautiful location, instead of replying rudely, the man coldly replied, "Kis baat ka regret hoga (What should I regret)?"

Although the video was originally posted on Instagram in May, it has recently gone viral and sparked online outrage.

"When I confronted him, he admitted it but with a very rude tone and he was not at all feeling guilty of what he just did," Karan explained narrating the scene.

"Nainital is one of the most beautiful places we have, but it hurts to see how casually people disrespect it and how okay everyone else seems to be with it," he added while uploading the video online.

So far, there are no reports of official action taken against the tourist.