An FIR has been lodged by Gurgaon police in the case under section 354 A (molestation) of IPC against the cab driver, Gurgaon Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk said. Police had received a mail regarding the incident and immediately lodged the FIR, he said. According to initial updates, the driver has been arrested in Gurgaon.
Police also requested Uber to provide them with relevant information on the issue which has been supplied, he said. In reply to the charge, Uber said, “Our team immediately reached out to the rider (victim) via phone within minutes of receiving the feedback.
A representational image | Source : india.com
Multiple members of the Uber team have spoken with the driver to ascertain the sequence of events.” The official Uber response also claimed that “immediate action has already been taken with the driver partner even while the matter is being thoroughly investigated.” It further said that in order to “protect” privacies of the parties involved, Uber will handle this matter “directly” with the “concerned parties”.
Uber Delhi General Manager Gagan Bhatia claimed that the driver partner has a valid PSV badge and commercial licence issued by the Delhi authority. Uber recently announced the appointment of IIT graduate Amit Jain as President of its India operations.
A file picture of the December 2014 Uber rape case convict with the police | Source : Financial Express
Terming it as a “worrisome” situation, Association of Radio Taxi India called for immediate action in this regard. “It is indeed a very worrisome situation for Taxi industry. Despite the ban in Delhi these services are growing,” said Kunal Lalani, President of Association of Radio Taxi India and Chairman, Mega cabs. “The situation needs to be addressed immediately before something more heinous happens. Though we need Ola and Uber but not at the cost of such mishaps,” he added.
The incident of molestation occurred on Saturday, May 30 in Gurgaon. The driver of an Uber taxi allegedly tried to forcibly kiss a 21-year-old woman in the morning. Her brother thus posted a complaint on Facebook which brought the matter to light, inviting uproar from all quarters.