Delhi woman claims she was assaulted by Uber driver, says 'he twisted my arm'

A routine cab journey for a doctor’s appointment turned into a harrowing experience for a Delhi woman, who has accused her Uber driver of physically assaulting her and leaving her without immediate support from either the ride-hailing platform or the police. Her allegations gained traction only after she shared the details in a viral social media post, prompting swift responses from both Uber and Delhi Police.

Bharati Chaturvedi, an environmental activist and founder of the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, was travelling from Vasant Vihar to Sarvodaya Enclave on Wednesday when the alleged incident occurred. Posting on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn, she wrote: “Today, for the first time in my life, I was assaulted.”

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, who said she was already struggling to breathe due to Delhi’s hazardous pollution levels which exacerbate her asthma, recounted that the driver stopped far from the designated drop-off point and became increasingly aggressive when asked to follow the correct route. He allegedly drove past the turn and veered into a secluded lane, refusing to halt. When she attempted to get out, he “reached back with one hand on the wheel and twisted my arm,” she stated.

Terrified yet determined, she managed to push the door open and escape. What followed, she said, was equally alarming — multiple calls for help went unanswered.

Chaturvedi reported calling 100 and reaching out to Uber Safety, but claimed that neither offered assistance at the time. She added that the driver taunted her, urging her to “go ahead and call the police,” seemingly confident no immediate help would arrive. She later found an auto-rickshaw and continued to her medical appointment.

According to her account, it was only after she publicly posted about the incident that both Uber and Delhi Police made contact. Although she described the physical injury as “minor pain, major anger,” she raised concerns about systemic gaps in rider safety. “We are not safe,” she wrote. “We cannot outsource our safety to corporations whose priority is profits and scale.”

Following intense online attention, Uber issued a statement saying: “This conduct is a clear breach of Uber’s Community Guidelines, and the driver’s access to the Uber app has been removed.”

The company added that its in-app SOS button connects riders directly with law enforcement and should be used during emergencies requiring immediate intervention.