A disturbing incident unfolded in Bengaluru on the evening of September 3, when an autorickshaw driver assaulted a college student after she canceled a ride. The altercation, captured on video and widely shared on social media, has sparked significant outrage.
The accused, identified as 46-year-old Muthuraj from Chikkallasandra, was arrested by the Magadi Road police following the incident. The video shows Muthuraj confronting and slapping the 23-year-old postgraduate student from a private college after she canceled the ride in favor of another autorickshaw.
According to the victim, the confrontation occurred around 4 p.m. when she and a friend were trying to book an autorickshaw via a mobile app to visit her brother at Kudlu Gate. Faced with Bengaluru’s notorious traffic and the challenge of securing rides, they decided to book through the Ola app and board the first available vehicle.
The trouble began when Muthuraj arrived at the scene, only to find that his ride had been canceled. Infuriated, he verbally abused the students in both Kannada and English, asking, “Tera baap deta hai kya gas?” (Does your father give me gas?), before slapping the student. The student recorded the incident on her phone but was too frightened to retaliate.
The driver of the autorickshaw that the students eventually boarded did not intervene but attempted to calm Muthuraj. The student later reported the incident to Ola’s customer service via email but initially received no response. “I’m still at my brother’s place because I am too scared to go home,” she told The Times of India (TOI), reflecting her ongoing distress.
OLA’S RESPONSE
Following the viral spread of the video, Ola addressed the situation on social media. “This sounds quite alarming. Don’t worry, we are here to help you with this. Please provide us with the CRN and your registered email ID via DM so that we can investigate this further,” Ola Support stated on X.
The incident has not only raised concerns about safety but also triggered a broader conversation about the conduct of service providers and the responsibilities of ride-sharing platforms in addressing such issues.
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