All of us have used ride-hailing cabs and autos to get to our destinations. What we have all also experienced is that sometimes the drivers cancel the ride at the last minute, or we do the same. Recently, one such incident took place in Bangalore where a female passenger canceled an auto. However, the result of this cancellation was that she was harassed by the auto driver and even slapped on her face. The video showing this pathetic incident has been shared online. Thankfully, the accused auto driver has been arrested.
Yesterday I faced severe harassment and was physically assaulted by your auto driver in Bangalore after a simple ride cancellation. Despite reporting, your customer support has been unresponsive. Immediate action is needed! @Olacabs @ola_supports @BlrCityPolice pic.twitter.com/iTkXFKDMS7
— Niti (@nihihiti) September 4, 2024
Auto driver assaults female passenger
The videos of the girl being harassed by an auto driver have been shared on X by a user named Niti. Now, before jumping into what happened inside the auto, the background of this story is that the female passenger and her friend booked two autos. They did this as it was peak traffic time. After the first auto arrived, one of them canceled their auto.
Just after this cancellation, they sat in the other auto and were about to leave. However, the first auto driver came to the same location and started harassing both female passengers. The auto driver then became even angrier after one of the female passengers started recording him for evidence and her safety.
What happened next?
The video shared by the female passenger shows that the auto driver, whose ride they canceled, came alongside the auto in which they were sitting. He then entered the auto halfway and started hurling abuses at both female passengers. He was especially targeting the girl who was recording the video.
He said that his father would pay for the gas that he had to burn to come and pick them up. During this, the other girl said that his auto was just one minute away. Following this, the auto driver continued abusing the passengers and was shouting very loudly at the girls.
It can be noted that during the entire conversation, the girls were trying to calm him down. However, he was not ready to listen to them and continued his harassment over the cancellation of the ride. Soon after this, when the situation continued for a bit, one of the passengers said that she would go to the police station.
This then added fuel to the fire and made the auto driver angrier. After hearing this and continuing his harassment, he tried snatching the girl’s phone and even slapped her. This made the female passengers cry. However, even after this, the auto driver did not stop his abuses and harassment.
He insisted that they should go to the police station with him. The auto driver then started harassing them by saying that they needed to go to the police station right then. To this, the passengers replied that they would go wherever and whenever they wanted. Finally, after a long argument, the auto driver sat in his own auto and drove away.
Has this auto driver been arrested?
The Auto Driver has been apprehended by Magadi Road Police.Action is being initiated for the offence committed as per law. pic.twitter.com/YpHgql69Xf
— DCP West Bengaluru (@DCPWestBCP) September 5, 2024
Thankfully, as soon as this video went viral on the internet, the police authorities started their investigation. It was then reported by the DCP West Bengaluru that this particular auto driver, who was harassing the girls, had been arrested. It was reported that the arrest was made by Magadi Road Police and action was being taken against him as per the offenses committed.
Netizens’ reactions
A number of netizens came in support of the female passengers. They stated that no one should ever be harassed by these auto drivers. One of the netizens wrote, “He needs to be detained in the police lockup room for at least 24 hours and let off with a written undertaking for not repeating this type of behavior with anyone in the future so that no one else dares to bully and outrage the modesty of any woman in public.”
Another user added, “Shameless person, canceling a ride is not a crime… But he physically attacked her. Hello @BlrCityPolice, please take action against this driver.”