A distressing incident involving a prominent environmental activist in a Delhi Uber cab has cast a harsh light on the city’s emergency response systems, after she alleged physical assault by a driver and a subsequent failure of the police helpline to answer her calls.
Bharati Chaturvedi, founder of the non-profit Chintan, detailed the event in a post on X and a subsequent email to the Delhi Police Commissioner. The ordeal began on Wednesday during a trip from Vasant Vihar to Sarvodaya Enclave.
According to her account, the ride was disrupted when the app's location pin incorrectly stopped the journey at Essex Farms. The driver agreed to continue without the pin but became “inexplicably agitated.”
The situation escalated when the driver began yelling, made two abrupt stops, drove erratically and took an unexpected turn towards Malviya Nagar. Fearing for her safety, Chaturvedi asked him to stop the vehicle immediately. She alleges he refused and instead increased his speed.
“I opened the cab door to make him stop. He turned around, grabbed my arm and twisted it,” Chaturvedi stated in her social media post. After exiting the vehicle, her attempts to seek immediate help were met with further frustration. She wrote she called the women’s helpline, 100, multiple times. “I was informed that the number was 'not available',” she said of her first call at 1:55 pm. On her next attempt, “no one answered at all.”
Her plight continued as she reported seeing a police van pass by while she was “waving clearly and urgently for assistance,” but it drove on into a DCP’s office without stopping.
Upon contacting Uber’s safety team, Chaturvedi expressed outrage that she was simply instructed to call 100. “Called Uber safety and was asked to call 100. Also Sanjana said will involve entire team to assess action. Outrageous,” she wrote on X. She revealed that a follow-up call from the company came only after a delay of two-and-a-half hours.
In response to the allegations, an Uber spokesperson stated: “This conduct is a clear breach of Uber’s Community Guidelines and the driver’s access to the Uber app has been removed. We also want to remind riders that the Safety Line provides remote assistance. For any serious safety concern that requires immediate intervention, we encourage riders to use the in-app SOS button, which connects them directly to law enforcement authorities.”
The company’s initial response on X had acknowledged the concern, stating, “This is very concerning. Behaviour like this is absolutely not condoned and your safety shall always remain a priority. Please share your specific trip with date and time of the trip and registered contact details associated with your Uber account via Direct Message. Our safety team will be in touch with you shortly..” The spokesperson also directed riders to use the in-app SOS button for emergencies.
The DCP South Delhi office responded on X by saying that “the matter has been duly taken into cognisance and is being inquired into. A DM has been sent to you for additional details. Appropriate legal action shall be initiated based on the findings.”
The incident has sparked serious questions about the reliability of both private ride-hailing safety protocols and public emergency services. Chaturvedi’s direct public challenge to the authorities — “@DelhiPolice how do women contact you when in need?” — lays bare a critical safety gap for women in the capital and fuels a pressing demand for accountability and systemic reform.
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