Bengaluru: A woman on Wednesday was allegedly harassed and physically assaulted by an auto driver in Bengaluru after she cancelled the ride and opted for another auto. The driver was furious due to the ride cancellation and got into a heated argument with the woman. As the situation escalated, he ended up slapping her in front of the other auto driver. The video of the incident, which the woman recorded on her phone, has gone viral on social media.
In the video, the woman is seated in the other auto she opted for while the angry auto driver is seen shouting at her for cancelling the ride. When the woman asks him why is he shouting at her, he replies by asking how she could cancel the ride by mistake. He also questions her as to who will cover his fuel costs.
Thereafter, the woman can be heard accepting that she did cancel the ride when the auto was a minute away. The auto driver, however, does not calm down, and when woman threatens him to go to the police, he insists that she go along with him. The woman then replies that she would not accompany him and would go to a different police station by herself. By this time, the situation had escalated, and as the woman told him that she had already noted his auto number details and phone number, he suddenly slapped her.
The woman and her friend had booked two autos on Ola since it was peak hours. She said that as the auto booked by her arrived first, her friend cancelled hers. "The other auto driver followed us, furious. Despite explaining the situation, he started shouting and hurling abuse. The driver went on to verbally assault us, questioning whether the auto belonged to my father and making derogatory comments. I began recording, which enraged him further. When I mentioned reporting him, he challenged me, showing no fear of consequences," she alleged, as reported by news agency PTI.
She stated that things escalated when he tried to snatch her phone and when she resisted, "he slapped me in front of my auto driver, who did nothing, and bystanders who remained passive." The woman added that despite this, the auto driver continued his threats, saying that he would beat her his slippers too.
Following the incident, the woman tagged Ola demanding immediate action. The company responded to the woman on X assuring her that they would investigate the incident, calling it "quite alarming".
Additional Director General of Police Traffic and Road Safety, Alok Kumar stated that appropriate action would be taken. "Such behaviour is unacceptable. (A) few people like him give (the) auto drivers community a bad name. Have informed the concerned to take appropriate action," ADGP Kumar stated, responding to her post.