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‘Audacity of Bengaluru auto drivers...': Woman claims harassment for being non-Kannadiga in the city
The woman claimed that a Bengaluru auto driver demanded more money only because she was a non-Kannadiga.
Amid the debate on the reservation for Kannadigas Bill, which was put on hold after backlash, a woman from Punjab shared her ordeal while dealing with auto drivers in Bengaluru. The woman claimed that an auto driver demanded more money only because she was a non-Kannadiga.
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A handle named Shaani Naani took to X and wrote, “I was working in Bangalore for 1.5 years. Married in Punjab, I wore chooda for the entire 1 year as it is a part of my tradition. It was evident I was from North India.”
She then described the discrimination she faced, especially with the auto drivers. “What a harassment it was to commute in auto from flat to office and back. The audacity of local auto drivers to strike a conversation on why I was in Bangalore when I belonged to North, if I was learning Kannada, asking if I like anything apart from weather, asking for more money as I was newly married and pretending not to understand a word when I would talk in Hin/Eng. I had a very bad experience with local crowd there.”
Many people in the comments section shared similar experiences with auto drivers in Bengaluru. A user named Hardeep Singh wrote, “Was in Bangalore back in March. Had a horrific incident with an Auto driver at midnight. The auto driver was demanding more money so we asked him to cancel the ride and we started walking and the auto driver started following us and called his friends too. We escaped somehow.”
However, the woman clarified that she doesn't mean that the city is same. “My colleagues were really good. They tried to make me feel at home. I don't say entire state is like this. These are some of my personal anecdotes,” she told HT.
Meanwhile, some people on the internet did not agree with the woman for calling Bengaluru an unfriendly city. A user wrote, “I am from North India too, been living in Bangalore for 3 years now! Never faced any problem. I feel safe here, never been catcalled, never been robbed. Guess you’re in the wrong Bangalore. Because locals don’t treat you like you’ve mentioned.”
