Uber case: Women activists call for proper verification of drivers

New Delhi : Former National for Commission ( NCW) member Shamina Shafiq on Thursday strongly condemned the brazen case in Bengaluru where an Uber cab driver has been booked for misbehaving with a female passenger and said that cab companies should behave more diligently while recruiting drivers.

Sahfiq told ANI that brands like Uber should take effective measures to ensure safety of their female passengers.

"It is absolutely bizarre and shocking that the cab driver was masturbating while the female passenger was sitting in the car, it is disgusting it is ugly. I don't understand that why companies like Uber are not trying to orientate and council their drivers, I mean why such incidents are repeatedly taking place, the company needs to answer," she said.

"In India there are a lot of female passengers, who travel and depend upon such taxis. If so called self imposed safe taxis there drivers are behaving in such an unruly manner then god knows what is the fate of female passengers in the country as it is the arrangement of public transport is not up to the mark. Strict actions need to be taken in such cases," she added.

Another women activist Pramil Nesarg also condemned the incident and called for better recruitment process.

"The cab companies with due diligence have to appoint drivers, they should do a back ground check. Such checks should be made compulsory. Police verification should also be done to ensure safety," she said.

An FIR under Section 509 of the IPC was lodged in Bengaluru's Madiwala Police Station against 21-year-old Suresh, who has been accused of misbehaving with the female passenger.

The lady got in the cab at around 7:30 in the evening. She was on her way back to home from office when the driver misbehaved with her.