โThey were repeatedly using abusive words against a particular caste. I stopped them several times during the journey because I belong to that caste and community and represent it. But they continued to speak against that caste.โ
The driver said he eventually had to ask the passengers to leave his vehicle.
โI was forced to make them get out of my vehicle.โ
Driver claims Rapido suspended him for 99 years
The driver identified Rapido as the platform through which he had accepted the ride and claimed the company had suspended him for 99 years and 11 months following the incident.
โThe company I was working with and the platform through which I took that ride is Rapido. The result I have faced after this incident is that the company has suspended me for 99 years and 11 months.โ
He said he was upset that the company had not sought his version of events before taking action against him.
โI am only hurt that the company could at least have asked me for my side of the story. After that, it could have suspended me or not suspended me.โ
He added that the company had several reasons it could have cited for suspending him but should have heard his side first.
โThey had 50 reasons to suspend me, but they suspended me without giving me a chance to present my side even once.โ
The driver also said the passengers had repeatedly targeted a particular caste and that his intervention was prompted by their remarks rather than their individual identities.
The videos do not independently establish the identities of the passengers, the circumstances preceding the confrontation or whether the alleged casteist remarks were made in the manner described by the driver.
The driver ended his clarification by reciting lines from a poem attributed by him to Dr Nawaz, warning that remaining silent when others face injustice could eventually leave others vulnerable themselves.
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