Bengaluru Uber driver arrested for allegedly harassing woman for not speaking Kannada

A woman from the north-east has alleged that she was harassed by an Uber auto driver in Bengaluru, claiming he verbally abused her due to her regional identity.

She posted a video of the incident on Instagram, which shows the driver insisting she speak in Kannada, a language she doesn’t understand, and allegedly trying to hit her.

After the complaint, the Bengaluru police arrested the driver, who is currently being held at the Kothanur police station.

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Uber driver harasses woman

According to the woman, identified as Enn Bii, the incident occurred after a ride cancellation on October 2.

She alleged that although the Uber app showed her ride had arrived, the driver never turned up. As she was getting late, she cancelled the ride and booked another auto.

The driver, identified as Pavan H S, allegedly arrived shortly afterwards, blocked her path, and began recording her while she sat in the other auto she had booked after cancelling his ride.

“He demanded money, started abusing, and even tried to hit me and even took videos of me as soon as he stepped out of his vehicle,” Bii claimed. She also filmed the driver’s actions and posted the video on Instagram, highlighting concerns over passenger safety.

Language barrier

The situation worsened due to the language barrier. The video showed the driver continuing to speak in Kannada despite being told that she could not understand the language.

"He was speaking in the local language, which I couldn’t understand. I requested him to speak in common Hindi, but he refused," Bii said. "He's abusing me like this because I'm from the Northeast," she was heard saying in the video.

At one point, the video showed Bii reading out the auto’s registration number as the driver tried to hit her. "He's trying to hit me," she shouted.

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Bengaluru police respond

The incident allegedly occurred around 7 pm on October 2. Sharing the video, Bii detailed the sequence of events in the caption and urged authorities to take action against the driver.

“Uber drivers behaving this way is shocking. We are not even safe in our own country. Please, someone take action for our safety,” she added.

Following her post, Bengaluru City Police sought details about the location of the incident and her contact information, while Uber issued an apology and said it had escalated the matter to a specialised team for review.

"This behaviour is extremely concerning, and we're so sorry this happened," Uber stated.

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Auto driver arrested

In another Instagram post, Bii alleged that the driver was using a fake number plate. When police tried to trace the vehicle registration, it reportedly led them to an elderly couple whose auto had not been used for weeks.

"How did Uber end up hiring someone with a fake licence plate?" she questioned.

In her latest update, Bii confirmed that the driver had been arrested.

"Heartfelt thanks to the Bangalore Police, especially Kothanur Police, for their prompt action and successful arrest of the culprit. Your quick response and hard work are deeply appreciated. I truly appreciate your commitment to upholding the law and protecting citizens," her post read.