Racist Slur, Hair Pulled: Mumbai Journalist Alleges Attack In Uber Cab

Mumbai:  A journalist from Mumbai has alleged that she was attacked by a co-passenger in a shared Uber cab and the company did not cooperate with the police when they started investigation on the matter. The company later said the incident was "deeply upsetting" and they have "reached out to law enforcement authorities to offer any information that could be helpful in their proceedings".

In a series of tweets and a Facebook post, Ushnota Paul said she was verbally abused and then attacked by the other woman, whose complaint was that she was paying the most and still getting dropped last. The journalist said she was targetted when she tried to defend the driver.

Initially, the woman called her names and then "she went completely racist", Ms Paul alleged.
 

It was almost near Urmi Estate in Lower Parel (where her drop was) when she went completely racist and called me a "chinky" & a "chinky s**t". I told her it's racist to which she said "haan toh? Kya Kar legi".

- Ushnota Paul (@journojuno) June 25, 2018

 

I tried to click her picture and she immediately snatched it away from me and threatened to break it. I know she would've so I didn't try clicking anymore. Before she got down from the cab,she physically attacked me,grabbed me by my hair,tore off clumps of hair, scratched my face

- Ushnota Paul (@journojuno) June 25, 2018

 

I have been physically & verbally assaulted in broad daylight by a complete stranger. The whole back seat of @Uber is full of clumps of my hair,I have injury on my face & hands & I'm definitely psychologically scarred. I take Uber twice everyday & yet I know now that I'm not safe

- Ushnota Paul (@journojuno) June 25, 2018

 But Uber, Ms Paul alleged, had refused to give details of the other passenger even when she filed a complaint with the police.
 

Uber refused to give the woman's details stating "customer privacy". The police officer called them in front of me and said there's a formal complaint against this woman & yet Uber didn't help. If she's your customer, so am I.

- Ushnota Paul (@journojuno) June 25, 2018

In another tweet, she said, "Uber won't do anything when it comes to my safety. If they don't respect what the Mumbai Police are saying to them, I am a mere civilian and definitely I am not safe."

Uber got panned on Twitter by many, who criticised it for refusing to offer information. Many said the firm cooperates only when the assailant is a man. In the evening, the company responded on the journalist's tweet thread.
 

Hey Ushnota, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. As discussed, we've reached out to law enforcement authorities to offer any information that could be helpful in their proceedings. We will keep you updated via the in app help section.

- Uber India Support (@UberINSupport) June 25, 2018

A spokesperson from Uber said, "What's been described today is deeply upsetting and is completely against our community guidelines. The co-rider in question cannot access the app."

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Reiterating that they had reached out to law enforcement authorities, Uber said they "stand ready to support their investigation into this incident".

In December last year, the issue of women's safety in app-based cabs was taken up by the Supreme Court, which asked the Centre for suggestions on the matter. The court asked if it was possible to have a regulatory mechanism to check sexual harassment in app-based taxies like Uber and Ola. The case is pending in the court.