Northeast Woman Harassed by Uber Auto Driver in Bengaluru
The woman shared a video of the incident on Instagram, alleging verbal abuse and attempted assault after a ride cancellation; Uber issues apology.
GG News Bureau
Bengaluru, 10th Oct: A disturbing case of discrimination has emerged in Bengaluru after a woman from the Northeast alleged that she was abused and nearly assaulted by an Uber auto driver for not speaking Kannada. The woman, identified as Enn Bii on Instagram, shared a video of the confrontation that has since gone viral, sparking outrage on social media.
The video showed the auto driver repeatedly asking her to speak in Kannada, a language she doesn’t understand, and allegedly attempting to hit her. “He’s abusing me like this because I’m from the Northeast,” she was heard saying in the clip, which also captured her calling out the vehicle’s registration number as the driver moved toward her.
According to Bii, the altercation occurred on October 2 following a cancelled ride. She claimed that the driver, identified as Pavan HS, did not arrive despite the app showing that her auto had reached. Running late, she cancelled the ride and hired another auto, but Pavan allegedly followed her, blocked her path, demanded money, hurled abuses, and filmed her.
“What made it worse was the language barrier,” she said. “He kept shouting at me in Kannada despite me telling him I don’t know the language.”
Bii later posted, “We are not even safe in our own country,” expressing her distress over the alleged xenophobic behaviour.
In response, Bengaluru City Police commented on her post, requesting her location details and contact number to investigate the matter further.
Meanwhile, Uber has issued an apology, saying, “This behaviour is extremely concerning, and we’re so sorry this happened.” The company added that the matter has been escalated to its specialised safety review team for appropriate action.
The incident has reignited discussions on racial and regional discrimination faced by people from the Northeast across Indian cities, and raised questions about passenger safety in ride-hailing services.
