Rapido rider in Bengaluru slaps woman, but was she the aggressor? New video sparks debate

A Rapido bike taxi rider was caught on camera for allegedly slapping a woman passenger following an argument between them over rash driving, police said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Saturday when the woman, who works as a saleswoman at a jewellery shop in Jayanagar, was en route to her workplace, they said.

A video of the incident that has now gone viral on social media platforms showed the biker slapping the woman. The impact of the assault was such that she fell on the ground.

Owing to his alleged rash driving, she got off mid-ride and confronted him, leading to a heated argument between them. The woman reportedly also refused to pay the fare and return the helmet, police said.

According to the rider, when she asked him about the fare ride, he told her that it was Rs 77. She kept abusing him and threatened to lodge a police complaint.

"She attacked me. I told her that she did not have the right to beat me. She assaulted me with her tiffin box. So, finally, I too got angry. People there told me not to raise my hand on her, but they also said that whatever she was doing was wrong. It was she who attacked me first. Not once but twice. She tried to grab my collar and started raising her voice. I asked her to calm down," he added.

The new video, that emerged hours after the viral video of the incident, showed the woman assaulting the driver first.

When contacted, Rapido preferred not to comment on the matter, citing it as a police case.

According to the police, when the matter came to light, both the woman and the rider were brought to the Jayanagar police station.

The woman claimed that the rider was rash driving and jumped signals. When she questioned him, an argument broke out between them and he slapped her, a senior police officer said.

Despite persuading the woman, she refused to give a complaint. However, police filed a non-cognisable report (NCR) in the matter. A notice has also been sent to her to give a complaint, so that an FIR can be registered and further investigation can be carried out, he said.

“The woman has not given any complaint in this regard. So, we have filed an NCR in this matter. The rider has been questioned in this regard and legal action will be taken as per law,” said Lokesh B Jagalasar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).