Activist Bharti Chaturvedi alleged that an Uber driver twisted her arm and her emergency calls went unanswered. Her post went viral, prompting Delhi Police to open an inquiry into the incident and the response failure.
New Delhi: Representative image of the Uber app on a smartphone inside a car. (IANS)
The Delhi Police initiated an inquiry on Wednesday after activist Bharti Chaturvedi posted on X about a troubling experience involving an Uber driver and the absence of help from both the police and the ride-hailing platform. Her account, which rapidly circulated on social media, described an incident where she said she was unable to get assistance despite multiple attempts.
According to her post, Chaturvedi had booked a cab from Vasant Vihar to Sarvodaya Enclave. When the location pin stopped near Essex Farms, he agreed to continue driving, but soon became hostile. She wrote that the driver raised his voice, took an unexpected turn, and allegedly refused to stop when she asked him to pull over.
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Chaturvedi said she felt compelled to open the door in order to end the ride, at which point the driver allegedly reached back, grabbed her arm, and twisted it. She added that she repeatedly dialled 100, but her calls went unanswered.
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When she reached Uber’s Safety line, she was reportedly advised to “call 100 again”. She wrote that an Uber representative told her the company would “assess action”, a response Chaturvedi described as unacceptable.
Tagging the Delhi Police on X, she raised a pointed question: “How do women contact you when in need?”
She also stated that the driver left without asking for payment.
Dear women of Delhi
I took an @Uber_India from Vasant Vihar to sarvodaya enclave to the doc. The pin stopped near Essex farms, driver agreed to drop me minus pin. But began getting irritated and yelling and suddenly turned while i asked him to go straight for a u turn.
Asked…
— Bharati Chaturvedi (@Bharati09) November 26, 2025
Chaturvedi wrote that she had emailed the Delhi Police Commissioner after receiving no response for hours. Only after her post gained traction did the Delhi Police reply publicly on X, saying the matter had been taken up and that an inquiry was underway. Officials also contacted her privately seeking further details.
Uber later released a public statement calling the incident “very concerning” and said the driver’s actions were not condoned. The platform asked her to provide trip details and contact information via direct message so the safety team could reach out.
Chaturvedi challenged Uber’s claim, saying she had already spoken to the safety team earlier. “I called your safety team. They had my details. Sanjana is planning a meeting, brainstorming, deciding if it’s bad enough or not, and assuring me Uber cares for my safety. Please coordinate internally, or tell me if you want my details again,” she wrote.
The episode also drew political attention, with Congress leaders Devendra Yadav and Abhishek Dutt sharing her post and urging the Delhi Police to take swift action in the case.
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