Bengaluru: A Rapido bike driver was caught on camera for allegedly slapping a woman passenger following an argument between them over rash driving, police said on Monday, June 16.
The incident occurred on June 14 when the woman, who works at a jewellery shop in Jayanagar, was en route to her workplace.
Owing to the Rapido driver’s alleged rash driving, she got off mid-ride and confronted him, leading to a heated argument between them. The woman reportedly also refused to pay the fare and return the helmet.
Suddenly, the Rapido driver slapped the woman. The impact of the assault was such that she fell to the ground. No one came to help her. A video of the incident has now gone viral on social media platforms.
Rapido driver, Suhas, defended his action, claiming that the woman started the assault by hitting him with a tiffin box. “She grabbed me by the collar and started abusing me. I told her she doesn’t have the right to get physical, she then hit me twice with a tiffin box, that’s when I hit her back. I told her people were watching. But she kept raising her voice,” Suhas was quoted by NDTV.
According to the police, both the woman and the Rapido driver were brought to the Jayanagar police station. The woman claimed that the rider was driving and jumped signals.
Despite persuading the woman, she refused to give a complaint. However, police filed a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) in the matter. A notice has also been sent to her to give a complaint, so that an FIR can be registered and further investigation can be carried out, police said.
Later, she lodged a complaint and a case was registered against the Rapido driver 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 Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, said Lokesh B Jagalasar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).
“He (driver) was not using Google map nor following the location. He was taking me through another route. Then I told him to stop at Jayanagar 3rd block. He was taking a wrong route. Near a signal he was supposed to take a U-turn, which he didn’t. I felt it to be an unsafe ride. I got down and questioned him about his driving. I told him not to drive like that, it is unsafe because I am the customer, I have to go forward,” she told reporters.
She further alleged that the rider started asking her how she could behave like this? “He told me to get out of the country if I didn’t know Kannada. I did not hit him nor do anything nonsense which might hurt him, but I held him by the shirt collar. He hit me and then I fell down. After that, in self-defence, I hit him,” she added.
The woman claimed that she did not hit him with a lunch box as alleged by the rider.
When contacted, Rapido preferred not to comment on the matter, citing it as a police case.
(With PTI inputs)
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