Delhi woman who accused Uber driver of ‘physical assault’ files police complaint

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A woman commuter, who accused a Uber driver of physically assaulting her on Wednesday, has submitted a written complaint at the Malviya Nagar police station on Thursday.

In the complaint, Bharati Chaturvedi, the founder of Chintan NGO, stated that she was assaulted after requesting the driver, Akshay Kumar, to drop her off at a location a few blocks away from the pinned one. While the complainant told The Hindu that police received her complaint, there was no confirmation about the FIR on Thursday.

Uber’s response

“This conduct is a clear breach of Uber’s Community Guidelines, and the driver’s access to the Uber app has been removed. We also want to remind riders that the Safety Line provides remote assistance. For any serious safety concern that requires immediate intervention, we encourage riders to use the in-app SOS button, which connects them directly to law enforcement authorities,” Uber’s official spokesperson told The Hindu.

On Wednesday, Ms. Chaturvedi booked the cab to reach her doctor’s clinic in south Delhi’s Sarvodaya Enclave, she said in her complaint.

She stated that Mr. Kumar took an unexpected turn before reaching the desired destination and sped the vehicle. “I asked him to stop the car immediately as I was feeling unsafe. He refused to stop and further increased the speed of the vehicle, causing extreme fear and danger to my personal safety. Feeling threatened, I attempted to open the door slightly so that the driver would slow down. Instead, he turned around, grabbed my arm forcefully, twisted it violently, and physically assaulted me, causing pain and injury,” Ms. Chaturvedi said.

She also mentioned that she couldn’t contact the police from the Uber app. “I attempted to use Uber’s safety features, but I could not get immediate help,” she said.

Taking her ordeal to X, the NGO founder said, “The driver’s pinned location stopped at a spot which was not the final destination. I started giving him directions to reach the area. At first, he agreed to drop me but as he drove ahead, he became irritable and started misbehaving.”