Delhi Police take cognisance of activist’s Uber ordeal hours after X post goes viral
New Delhi: Delhi Police has taken cognisance of activist Bharti Chaturvedi’s social media post in which she detailed a disturbing experience of receiving no help for hours from both the police and Uber after she attempted to file a complaint against a cab driver.
Her account, now widely shared on X, highlights yet another troubling instance of rising lawlessness in the national capital and the recurring failure of emergency services to respond to women in distress.
Chaturvedi wrote that she had booked an Uber from Vasant Vihar to Sarvodaya Enclave. When the location pin stopped near Essex Farms, the driver agreed to continue without it, but soon grew irritated, began shouting, and abruptly turned the vehicle when she asked him to continue straight to take a U-turn.
When she asked him to stop the car, he allegedly refused. She said that she was forced to open the door to interrupt the ride, at which point the driver allegedly turned around, grabbed her arm, and twisted it.
She said she immediately dialled 100 but received no response. When she reached out to Uber Safety, she was told to “call 100 again”. She added that an Uber representative named Sanjana told her the team would “assess action”, a response she described as outrageous.
In her post, she tagged the Delhi Police and questioned, “How do women contact you when in need?”
She also mentioned that the driver did not take payment for the trip.
Hours later — after her post gained widespread attention and she emailed the Delhi Police Commissioner — the Delhi Police finally responded on X, stating that the matter had been taken into cognisance and was being inquired into. They also sent her a direct message requesting additional details.
Uber issued a public statement saying, “This is very concerning. Behaviour like this is absolutely not condoned, and your safety shall always remain a priority. Please share the specific trip details and registered contact information via Direct Message. Our safety team will be in touch with you shortly.”
Chaturvedi contradicted Uber’s statement, saying she had already spoken to their safety team. “I called your safety team. They had my details. Sanjana is planning a meeting, brainstorming, deciding if it’s bad enough or not, and assuring me Uber cares for my safety. Please coordinate internally, or tell me if you want my details again,” she wrote.
The incident quickly escalated into a political issue, with Congress leaders including Devendra Yadav and Abhishek Dutt quoting her post and urging the Delhi Police to take prompt and adequate action.