Chandigarh | Updated: July 4, 2026
The Ketan Agarwal murder case has triggered an unusual rise in visitors at Maharashtra’s historic Lohagad Fort, with tourists reportedly asking guides to show them the spot where the Pune businessman was allegedly pushed to death.
percentThe 2,000-year-old fort, known for its Maratha history and scenic hilltop views, has seen footfall rise by nearly 25 per cent since 26-year-old Ketan Agarwal was allegedly pushed from a cliff.
Accused Siya Goyal and co-accused Chetan Choudhary are currently under investigation in the murder case. However, that has not stopped visitors from reaching the fort and asking about the exact location linked to the crime.
Local guides said many tourists have started asking, “Where is the Siya spot?” while visiting the fort. Some visitors have also been trying to photograph the location associated with the case.
Police had briefly shut the site during the investigation to prevent interference with the probe.
disaster,The trend is being described as an example of dark tourism, where people visit places linked to death, tragedy, disaster or crime.
The term “dark tourism” was coined in 1996 by Scottish academics John Lennon and Malcolm Foley. However, the idea of people being drawn to tragic or violent places is much older, with examples ranging from Roman gladiator events to people watching battles during the American Civil War.
suffering,Psychologists say such travel is not always driven by morbidity. Many people visit tragic sites to process mortality, understand human suffering or experience what they see as real and unfiltered history.
Theory,”A 2025 University of Tennessee study referred to “Terror Management Theory”, which suggests that confronting death in a safe setting can make people more aware of the value of life.
Experts also believe dark tourism may be linked to a search for authenticity in a world dominated by curated social media experiences. For some visitors, such places offer a chance to learn, reflect, mourn, or make sense of disturbing events.
However, mental health experts warn that turning sites of real grief into casual photo spots can weaken empathy. Dr. Makhan Shakya, a psychiatrist at GMC Sheopur, said treating tragedy locations as weekend attractions can be insensitive to victims and their families.
The same fascination is also visible online, with true crime content becoming increasingly popular on Indian streaming platforms.
India has several well-known dark tourism sites. These include Cellular Jail in Port Blair, where freedom fighters were imprisoned and tortured, and Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, which still carries bullet marks from the 1919 massacre.
Other such sites include the Partition Museum in Amritsar, the Union Carbide site in Bhopal linked to the 1984 gas tragedy, Roopkund or Skeleton Lake in Uttarakhand, Kuldhara village and Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, and the Kargil War Memorial at Dras in Ladakh.
Whether it is a historic massacre site, a war memorial, or a fort recently linked to a murder case, dark tourism reflects people’s desire to stand close to tragedy while remaining safely removed from it.
The growing attention around Lohagad Fort after the Ketan-Siya-Chetan case has once again raised questions about curiosity, sensitivity, and the boundaries of responsible tourism.
