Adhikari demands report on Park Circus heckling

Suvendu Adhikari, the state transport minister, sought a report in connection with the incident in which a fashion designer was heckled after she protested against reckless driving by the driver of an Ola cab.

The woman, a resident of CIT road, was harassed and beaten by the driver of a cab she was travelling in after she raised her voice against his reckless driving. The incident had taken place near Park Circus bridge number 4.

Police arrested Rahul Midda, the accused driver, Monday morning on the basis of the complaint that the woman had lodged with Beniapukur police station. The police have also seized the offender’s cab.

The incident caused panic as the driver had followed the woman when she finally reached home after the incident and threatened her of dire consequences.

The report will have to be submitted by the operator of the app cab as soon as possible.

The transport department would decide its next course of action after going through the report on the incident.

A report was also sought in the incident of harassment of a woman in a moving app-based car in Salt Lake a few days ago.

The state transport department had already set a number of parameters that the app-based car operators have to follow to ply vehicles in the state.

Installation of panic buttons and surveillance cameras in the cars are among some of the steps that the transport department have made mandatory, keeping in mind the security of passengers and the increased occurrence of such incidents.

After taking up the responsibility of the state’s transport minister, Adhikari held meetings with representatives of many app-based car operators and the operators have assured him that they will comply with the set norms within the stipulated time to ensure security of passengers.

According to an official of the transport department, the minister seeking a report soon after such an incident is something worth mentioning as it leaves an impact on the operators and they would take necessary steps with more seriousness to check repetition of such incidents.