Monday, December 8, 2014

Rape and technology in India: A woman in India says that she was raped by a taxi driver after booking the cab using the popular Uber smartphone app

The 26-year-old from Delhi told police that she dozed off in the taxi and when she woke up the vehicle was parked in a secluded part of the capital. Police said that a medical examination had backed up her allegation. The driver of the taxi has been arrested. The latest incident comes amid increasing concern at sexual violence against women in India. The woman said that after raping her, the driver warned her that she would be hurt if she raised the alarm. He then dropped her off near her home. The driver later abandoned the taxi and returned to his home in neighboring Uttar Pradesh state where he was arrested, police said. Uber, which is growing in India, has been accused of failing to conduct adequate checks on its drivers. "Our initial investigations have revealed shortcomings of the private cab company which didn't have GPS installed in its cabs and the staff wasn't verified," Delhi Special Commissioner Deepak Mishra said. The latest allegation of rape has again put the spotlight on the issue of sexual violence against Indian women, following a series of recent incidents. It comes days before the second anniversary of the gang rape and murder of a student on a bus in Delhi, which prompted outrage and a tightening of the laws on sexual violence.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What kind of idiot dozes off in a taxi?