Uber Driver Who Took 'Anti-National' Rider To Police Station Receives 'Alert Citizen Award'

Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the chief of BJP's Maharashtra Unit has 'felicitated' Rohit Gaur an Uber driver in Mumbai who took a passenger to the police after overhearing his telephonic conversation about anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

On Saturday Lodha garlanded him near Santacruz police station in the presence of several local BJP leaders and workers and conferred him the 'Alert Citizen Award'. Meanwhile Uber has suspended Gaur for 72 hours pending an inquiry.

Lodha criticized Uber's decision and said that ¡°He performed the duty of an alert citizen", and that it was wrong to suspend him. Gaur also defended his actions and said that he had only done his job as an alert citizen.

The incident happened on Wednesday night after Jaipur-base poet and activist Bappaditya Sarkar had taken Gau's cab from Juhu to Kurla. While on the way Sarkar was on his phone with a friend and was talking about ¡°protest cultures¡±, the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest at Shaheen Bagh in Delhi, and about ¡°people¡¯s discomfort with Laal Salaam¡±.

Gaur, who overheard the conversation stopped the cab and told Sarkar he wanted to go to an ATM and returned with two policemen. He then allegedly asked the cops to arrest Sarkar as "he was saying he was a communist, was talking about burning the country and making a Shaheen Bagh in Mumbai".

The driver also claimed he had recorded the phone talk. What is even shocking was that the driver told Sarkar that he should be happy that he brought to the cops and that the could have been taken elsewhere also.

After an interrogation that went on for a few hours, where the cops quizzed Sarkar about his background, activities, ideology, and job, he was let go without any charges.

It came to light after CPIML activist Kavita Krishnan tweeted calling it a "scary episode". Krishnan claimed that the police advised Sarkar not to carry the 'Dafli' or wear a red scarf, "as the atmosphere is not good and anything can happen". Uber India Support reached out to her said that the incident was "concerning" and wanted to address this on priority.

Following this Uber informed Sarkar that the driver partner¡¯s account has been temporarily barred and has also waived off the charge that was levied for the trip. Gaur's actions had left the internet divide. While many hailed him as a hero and model citizens, others pointed out how a security risk such actions by drivers could cause.