Harassed by Uber driver, Kolkata actor vows to never get app-based cabs again

Bengali actor and television star Swastika Dutta, who had a harrowing experience on an Uber cab in Kolkata has said she will never board another app-based cab. She is still traumatised even after several hours since the incident.

Swastika Dutta, a popular name in Bengali serials, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the driver cancelled the ride midway and misbehaved with her when she refused to get down from the vehicle.

Swastika said, "I am still traumatised. I experienced this for the first time. I have been using app cabs for the past three months and this is happened to me for the first time. I don't want this to happen again to me, or to anyone out there. I am still in shock but still the show must go on to work and I have to shoot for my project."

Swastika said it was not just her, even her father was harassed in the incident. The two of them were pushed out of the cab by the driver who also abused them.

The driver cancelled the ride midway and misbehaved with her, when she refused to get down from the vehicle. He then took the car to his locality.

She said, "He tried to pull me out of the car and as I refused to come out and he called his brothers and friends as well. I don't know whether to share this in the media but still I wish because there are people, especially girls listening to me."

"I was on a call with my mother and urged her to send my father on the given location as soon as possible. I was speechless by the driver's behavior," she said.

According to the actor, her studio was far from her home and the driver had an issue with that. He started misbehaving when he saw the drop location.

He started asking her in abusive language that how did she manage to book a cab for such a huge distance. The driver then asked her to get down but refused to stop the car. This is when Swastika panicked.

Police took note of her social media post and asked her to lodge an FIR and arrested the driver within four hours.

But what was more shocking was the response of customer care of Uber.

When she approached Uber customer care, the responders allegedly asked her if she was "sexyally harassed".

Swastika said, "They are only concerned about sexual harassment. What about mental harassment?"