New Delhi: Environmental activist Bharati Chaturvedi, founder of the non-profit organisation Chintan, alleged that Delhi’s women’s helpline did not respond when she sought urgent help after an Uber driver allegedly grabbed and twisted her arm during a ride on Wednesday, November 26.
Chaturvedi described the incident in a detailed post on X, sharing that she had booked an Uber from Vasant Vihar to Sarvodaya Enclave.
Here's what happened
According to Chaturvedi, the driver became irritated when the location pin stopped near Essex Farms and agreed to drive her further without the pin. She wrote that he began yelling, then took an unexpected turn when she asked him to continue straight for a U-turn. When she asked him to stop and he refused, she opened the car door to force a halt. She alleged that the driver then turned around, grabbed her arm and twisted it.
She added that her calls to the women’s helpline number 100 went unanswered. She also said that she contacted Uber’s safety team but was advised to call the police by the company. Chaturvedi added that a representative named Sanjana told her the team would assess the issue internally. She added that the driver did not take payment for the trip.
Have a look at her post here:
Questions over emergency response
Tagging Delhi Police, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Uber’s support team, Chaturvedi asked how women were expected to contact authorities in an emergency if helpline calls went unanswered. The post drew broad reaction online, with netizens expressing concern and offering suggestions of taking photographs of the driver and the need for an in-car panic mechanism accessible to passengers.
In a response posted publicly, Uber said the complaint was “very concerning” and reiterated that such behaviour was not condoned. The platform asked Chaturvedi to share her trip details, including the date, time and registered contact information, via direct message for the safety team to follow up.
Her account led to further debate on social media about safety protocols for women in Delhi and how effective or not are the emergency helplines.
