The Goa government on Friday filed a police complaint against a man for allegedly citing “false data” to claim that tourism in the state was seeing a downturn, The Times of India reported.

The man, Ramanuj Mukherjee, claimed in a post on X on November 5 that a comparison between 2019 and 2023 showed that foreign tourists had abandoned Goa for other places such as Sri Lanka. “Indian tourists still visiting, but soon likely to ditch it as word spreads about exploitation of tourists while there are so many cheaper comparable locations abroad,” he said.

“Tourism in Goa is down in dumps,” Mukherjee said, referring to statistics from CEIC Data, a London-based analytics company.

In response to his post, several social media users described their experiences of struggling to find reliable transport and reasonable hotel fares in the state.

The state’s tourism department, however, alleged that Mukherjee played “public mischief” by disseminating what it said was false data. Deputy Director of Tourism filed a complaint with the cyber crime police station against the man.

“The propagation of such false statements not only jeopardises the reputation of our state but also poses a serious threat to public tranquillity,” Kale said in the complaint, according to The Times of India. “The department of tourism is particularly concerned that these actions may be part of a hidden agenda aimed at undermining Goa’s state image.”

Kale said the credibility of the data was questionable, as Mukherjee did not consult with the tourism department before uploading the post. He alleged that his statements appeared to have been intended to “cause public unrest”.

In response to the complaint, Mukherjee on Saturday said he merely cited publicly available data, reported The Indian Express. He accused the state government of “misusing the law to shut down criticism” rather than addressing complaints raised by tourists on social media.

“They should have put the correct data out there if they think my cited data is wrong instead of what appears to be a misuse of law to shut down criticism,” he said. “I will counter this intimidation through legal means.”