Kochi Police Commissioner M P Dinesh to review action on Uber assault
The direction in this regard was doled out on Sunday evening.
Kochi: City Police Commissioner M.P. Dinesh will review the action taken by the Maradu Police in the incident in which three women thrashed a Uber taxi driver at Vytilla in full public glare last week. The action follows a direction to this regard from the Director General of Police Loknath Behera following reports that the cops lodged only minor charges so as to “bail out” the trio associated with the television industry.
The direction in this regard was doled out on Sunday evening. The top officer will inspect CCTV images of the assault to determine whether there was any scope for booking the trio with murder attempt charges. The incident happened on Wednesday last when a Uber taxi driver was brutally assaulted by three women who booked the online cab under a share taxi scheme but wanted the rider in it to be offloaded. However, despite witness account and CCTV images, the Maradu Police booked Clara Shibin (28) from Alakode in Kannur district, Sheeja Afsal (30) from Pathanamthitta and Angel Mary (36) from Alakode, Kannur with minor charges and released them on station bail on the same day.
Meanwhile, the online taxi drivers called a 18-hour strike from Sunday midnight to protest against the cop’s failure in delivering “justice” to the victim. “The online taxis will go off-line mode from 12 midnight today to 12 pm Monday. The cops took the attack lighter since the accused were women. We demand strict action since the victim was attacked with stones and also humiliated when they tore away his clothes,” said Online Taxi Drivers Union President T.R.S. Kumar.