Delhi Woman Assaulted During Uber Ride: Safety Concerns Highlight Gap in Passenger Protection

The woman reported experiencing minor pain in her arm following the incident.

New Delhi:

A Delhi woman's Uber journey to a medical appointment turned into a nightmare when the driver allegedly physically attacked her and twisted her arm. Bharati Chaturvedi contacted both Uber's safety team and Delhi Police but claimed she received inadequate assistance from both parties. Although she escaped with a minor arm injury, it took a viral social media post to prompt authorities to investigate the matter.

Chaturvedi shared her experience on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn, stating, "Today, for the first time in my life, I was assaulted," before detailing the events that transpired.

On Wednesday afternoon, she booked an Uber from her Vasant Vihar residence to attend a doctor's appointment in South Delhi's Sarvodaya Enclave.

"Pollution was severe, my asthma was flaring, and I could barely breathe or see due to itching eyes and burning scalp," she wrote.

According to Chaturvedi, the driver stopped far from the designated drop-off point. When she requested him to continue, he "drove a few metres, stopped angrily, kept demanding directions, and then suddenly sped past the turn."

Rather than making a U-turn, the driver allegedly turned left into an unfamiliar lane, deviating from the route. When he refused to stop and accelerated instead, Chaturvedi forced the door open, compelling him to halt. The driver then allegedly reached back while keeping one hand on the wheel and twisted her arm.

"I screamed. He stopped. I got out quickly. Fortunately, I had a small crossbody bag containing only my phone, asthma inhaler, and some cash," Chaturvedi added.

She attempted to call emergency services and Uber Safety but received no immediate response. According to her account, the driver noticed this and taunted her to "go ahead and call the police."

The driver refused payment, and Chaturvedi eventually took an auto-rickshaw to reach her doctor's appointment.

"I contacted Uber Safety. Initially, the AI suggested I disconnect and call another number if feeling unsafe. I did so, but nobody answered. They called back after 4 minutes expressing 'concern' but stated they couldn't help since they weren't physically present. Two hours later, they called again and repeated the same message," Chaturvedi explained.

She expressed disappointment that Delhi Police didn't respond to her emergency call, noting that her confidence in their responsiveness was what prompted her to contact them.

Only after posting on X did she receive responses from both Uber and Delhi Police, along with support from friends and similar accounts from other women.

Uber stated, "behaviour like this is absolutely not condoned, and your safety shall always remain a priority." The company requested trip details to enable their safety team to contact her.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Delhi confirmed that an investigation was underway and assured appropriate legal action would follow.

"I'm physically okay—minor pain, major anger," Chaturvedi noted.

The incident, according to Chaturvedi, who founded Chintan, Environmental Research and Action Group in Delhi, raises serious questions about safety mechanisms.

"The fundamental issue is this: We are not safe. And we cannot outsource our safety to corporations prioritizing profits and scale over security. If an Uber ride can escalate to a driver twisting my arm, yet Uber lacks a reassuring system to address this, we face serious problems. It's comparable to boarding an aircraft without security screening—what does that indicate about the system we're entrusting our lives to?" Chaturvedi questioned, highlighting concerns about accountability.

Chaturvedi concluded her statement with a powerful observation on women's safety in Uber services, describing it as "a privilege and not a guarantee."