A woman from the Northeast was subjected to discrimination and harassment by an auto-rickshaw driver in Karnataka's Bengaluru. The woman has posted a video of the incident on social media alleging that she was abused by an Uber auto driver because she is from the Northeast. The video shared by the woman shows the auto driver telling her to speak in Kannada, a language she was unfamiliar with, and even trying to hit her.
Responding to the viral video, Bengaluru Police asked the woman to provide more details, while the ride-hailing service provider Uber has issued an apology over the incident.
The woman, named Enn Bii, alleged in her post that the app showed the status of the ride as "arrived", but the auto was nowhere to be seen. She waited for some time before she cancelled her ride and took another auto.
As soon as she got into the auto, the driver, Pawan HS, arrived and blocked her path. The woman claimed that Pawan not only demanded money but also abused her and even tried to attack her and took her videos.
The situation worsened due to a language barrier. Despite being informed that she didn't understand Kannada, the driver continued speaking to her in the language, as seen in the video.
"He's abusing me because I'm from the Northeast," she said in the clip. At one point, the footage showed Bii reading out the auto-rickshaw's registration number as the driver attempted to hit her. "He's trying to hit me," she shouted.
Later, she expressed her frustration on Instagram, writing, "We are not even safe in our own country."
In response, Bengaluru City Police asked for the incident's location and her contact details.
Uber said it had referred the case to a special team for review and issued an apology, stating, "This behaviour is deeply troubling, and we're very sorry this happened."
