Video: Bengaluru auto driver, 2 women trade blows after dispute over ride, fare
An auto-rickshaw driver in Bengaluru was detained on Tuesday after a video showing him involved in a scuffle with two women over a cancelled ride went viral on social media. The incident took place on Monday afternoon in the 3rd Sector of HSR Layout and followed an argument over repeated ride cancellations and the fare of the auto-rickshaw.
The accused driver was identified as Chetan Kumar, a Bengaluru resident. According to police, the two women had booked and cancelled the auto-rickshaw ride multiple times through an app-based ride-hailing platform before booking it again.
A disagreement over the fare subsequently broke out between the women and the driver. The argument soon escalated into a physical confrontation on the roadside.
A passerby recorded the incident, and the video was later circulated widely on social media, bringing the episode to public attention.
The viral video shows the driver and the two women engaged in a heated confrontation beside an auto-rickshaw. At different points, the driver and the two women could be seen pushing and hitting each other in full public view of a roadside.
Another woman subsequently steps in and separates the people involved, bringing the physical confrontation to an end.
Police said the dispute began after the ride had been cancelled and booked again through the app-based platform.
The disagreement over the fare then turned into a verbal altercation before escalating into a scuffle in public.
Following the incident, one of the women approached the police and lodged a complaint. HSR Layout police registered a case against the auto-rickshaw driver and took him into custody for questioning, a senior police officer said.
The incident comes amid growing reliance on app-based platforms for booking auto-rickshaws in Bengaluru, where disputes over fares, cancellations and ride-related issues can sometimes lead to confrontations.
In this case, however, the immediate dispute was followed by a physical altercation that was captured on camera and subsequently shared on social media.
Police are now examining the complaint and the circumstances that led to the confrontation.
The video recorded by the passerby is also part of the available account of the incident, while the allegations made by those involved are subject to the police inquiry. Further action will depend on the investigation and the findings in the case.
The case is expected to focus on the sequence of events leading from the repeated ride cancellations and fare disagreement to the roadside scuffle, as well as the conduct of those involved during the confrontation.- Ends
