Rapido rider who slapped woman passenger in Bengaluru booked
The incident occurred on June 13 when the woman, who works as a saleswoman at a jewellery shop in Jayanagar, was on her way to her workplace, police said
A case has been registered against a Rapido bike taxi rider who was caught on camera allegedly slapping a woman passenger in Jayanagar area of Bengaluru after an argument between them over rash driving, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred on June 13 when the woman, who works as a saleswoman at a jewellery shop in Jayanagar, was on her way to her workplace, they added.
Police said the confrontation over rash driving escalated into an argument and the driver allegedly slapped the woman hard enough to knock her to the ground.
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However, the driver, Suhas, later posted a video in which the woman allegedly hit the driver before the slap was captured in the previous footage.
A case was registered against the accused bike taxi rider on Monday under sections 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the BNS, police said.
“She was speaking rudely from the beginning. I took a shortcut through Jayanagar to save her time, but she kept questioning me and asked what I had studied and whether I knew how to drive,” Suhas said.
He added that the situation escalated after he stopped about 100 metres from her office due to a blocked road. When she demanded the fare, he quoted ₹77, but said she responded by striking him with a tiffin box, he said.
“I held my patience as much as I could,” he said, claiming that after being hit twice and shouted at, he retaliated.
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“I know we shouldn’t hit women. But after she hit me twice and shouted, I hit her once.”
Suhas also admitted to telling her to “go back to your country,” though he clarified that he meant state and was not fluent in English.
He said he attempted to report the incident to the store manager nearby but couldn’t locate them. “I explained to whoever was there that she raised her hand at me first,” Suhas said.
The woman later approached Jayanagar police station and lodged a complaint. She alleged that the driver not only drove recklessly from BTM Layout to Jayanagar 3rd Block but also used abusive language and assaulted her in public when she questioned his driving.
