A Bengaluru-based businessman and his colleagues were was beaten up allegedly by more than 20 Uber drivers near Kempegowda International Airport for insisting that the back seat of the car have a seat belt.
The incident, which took place on Monday night around 9.30pm, came to light when Dave Banerjee, CEO of an advertising agency and co-founder of a yoga-wear brand, tweeted on Tuesday recounting the incident and sharing photos of the injuries he had suffered, reported Business Standard.
“Got beaten up by a mob of 20+ Uber drivers at Bangalore Airport last night for demanding seatbelts. Uber SOS said 'we can't help, call the police'”, tweeted Banerjee.
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He added that the incident lasted more than 45 minutes.
According to another report, when Banerjee could not find passenger seatbelts inside the cab he had hailed, he asked the driver to stop the car. After which an argument began between Banerjee and the driver.
Soon, another Uber cab and walked away, but the driver allegedly gathered a group of drivers and allegedly roughed up the colleagues and him.
He also alleged that upon using the SOS button provided within Uber’s app, the company’s call centre agent instructed him to call the local police as they could not help. Banerjee has registered a Medical Legal Case but has not filed a First Information Report with the police yet. Banerjee said he was told by Uber that it was sorry for the inconvenience he had faced.
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He also said that Uber’s mails were unapologetic, the BS report added.
Banerjee also alleged that no one came to help, including bystanders or security, and he was finally able to leave with the help of his colleagues.
When Banerjee tried to contact Uber emergency, Uber's replied: “Based on the severity of the incident you have reported, the concerned team is reviewing and will be addressing it on a different trail to ensure necessary actions are taken. I will be closing this thread here.”
Uber said it had barred the driver’s access to the Uber app.
“What’s been described has no place on our app. Safety of our riders is a priority for us at Uber. We have barred the driver-partner’s access to the Uber app. We will support the law enforcement authorities in their investigation and proceedings in any way Possible,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement.
