A 46-year-old auto driver in Bengaluru has been taken into custody for assaulting a female student who cancelled an Ola ride. The incident happened at Magadi Road, in which an auto driver, R Muthuraj, got annoyed when a woman cancelled the ride and took another vehicle; he lashed out at her. The woman, a student, recorded the confrontation on her phone, and the video went viral on social media.
Bengaluru Auto Driver Assaults Female Student
Kalesh b/w Two Ladies and Auto Driver over Cancelling the Ride in Namma Bengaluru KA (Auto-Driver was angry after ride was Cancelled)
pic.twitter.com/Wfb7WvDLKL— Ghar Ke Kalesh (@gharkekalesh) September 5, 2024
The problem started when the student selected another auto following a booking through Ola. Infuriated by this, the driver chased the student and confronted her. In the video, the driver is shown yelling at the woman for wasting his time and fuel. The explanation being given by the student wasn’t helping to calm the situation. He was asking for compensation to cover the fuel costs and continued his beratement.
The girl told him to expect the worst, as she had noted his vital details, including his auto number and phone number. This further enraged him. He dared her to go to the police with a mocking remark. As she did not retreat, he slapped her. At this moment, there was another bystander who saw all that was happening along with another auto driver, yet no one tried to intervene.
Rage Over Cancellation
Disturbing and frightening!
An #Ola auto driver slapped a woman in #Bengaluru just for canceling a ride. For women who use @Olacabs regularly, incidents like this are alarming. Ola, how can we feel safe if such behavior goes unchecked? #WomenSafety #UnsafeRides pic.twitter.com/XQLKqm24gQ
— Smriti Sharma (@SmritiSharma_) September 5, 2024
She had booked two different autos for both of them during peak hours. The auto she booked first came first, and her friend cancelled the other one. This cancellation sent Muthuraj into a rage, as he felt that he had wasted his time and fuel. He chased after them and started abusing them, saying they were cheating him. She picked up her phone and began recording the altercation. The driver then got even more aggressive. He reached over and tried to snatch the phone from her hand, and since she struggled to hold on to it, he slapped her.
A video of the incident went viral on social media. She tagged Ola in all her posts, demanding immediate action. Ola responded, saying they would look into the alarming situation. The company assured her and the public that such incidents were taken seriously and would not be left without taking all necessary steps.
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Bengaluru police have arrested Muthuraj immediately after the video went viral. The police slammed the driver as his mentality not only suffered personally but also caused damage to the entire auto driver fraternity. Additional Director General of Police, Traffic, and Road Safety, Alok Kumar, said that such incidents bring a bad name to the whole profession as the driver will face stringent action.