Assault by cab driver: FIR registered on NGO founder’s complaint

On Wednesday, environmentalist and Chintan founder Bharati Chaturvedi, in a social media post, described how a routine trip to a clinic in Sarvodaya Enclave turned ugly when the driver allegedly became aggressive after the GPS began taking them to an incorrect location near Essex Farms.

Delhi Police have registered a first information report (FIR) in relation to a Delhi NGO founder’s allegations that she was assaulted and forcibly restrained by an Uber driver during a trip in south Delhi.

A senior police officer said that a case had been registered (Representative photo)

A senior police officer said that a case had been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 126(2) (wrongful restraint) against the driver. “Further investigation is underway,” he said.

On Wednesday, environmentalist and Chintan founder Bharati Chaturvedi, in a social media post, described how a routine trip to a clinic in Sarvodaya Enclave turned ugly when the driver allegedly became aggressive after the GPS began taking them to an incorrect location near Essex Farms.

She said he refused to stop the vehicle despite repeated requests, abruptly accelerated, and grabbed and twisted her arm when she attempted to open the door to compel him to slow down.

In a complaint, emailed to the police commissioner, she also said her calls to the police helpline went unanswered and that a passing patrol van failed to assist her, even as she waved for help.

Uber said the driver had been removed from the platform for violating its guidelines.

On Friday, Chaturvedi told HT, “Lodging the FIR is a very tiny thing to do. The big issue is that this will happen again because Uber’s licence with MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport & Highways) is on a condition that they do background checks on their drivers which they do not do.”

“The other challenge is that Uber believes that the way to ensure women safety is to deplatform drivers but that won’t prevent them from going will go to other cab aggregators. I don’t understand how Uber can claim to run an ethical and inclusive business. They exclude us by enabling us to be unsafe”.

Uber did not respond to requests for comment. “For any serious safety concern, we encourage riders to use the in-app SOS button,” a spokesperson said earlier.