DIWAKAR SHARMA diwakar. sharma@ mid- day. com AFTER suspending it for u00a1 . hours while they conducted an enquiry, ride- hailing service Uber activated the Uber ID of driver Rohit Singh Gaur, who took passenger Bappadittya Sarkar to Santacruz police last week after hearing him discuss anti- CAA protests on the phone. During his re- sensitisation, Gaur claimed he has been told to take the passenger from the pickup point to the drop- off point irrespective of what he hears them talking about.
u201c I asked Uber executives what I should do if a passenger is being anti- national over the phone or with a co- passenger, or if I come to know that the passenger is a criminal or is going to commit a crime,u201d said Gaur.
u201c I have been strictly told to take the passenger to the destination without any hassle and then to approach the police, if I want to.
This means that business is more important to Uber than national security. They want me to not disturb the passenger even if s/ he could be a criminal,u201d said Gaur, who was informed of the re- activation on Tuesday.
Gaur was also instructed to not invade passengersu2019 personal space, not indulge in verbal or physical disputes, not to speak unless spoken to and not to drive under the influence.
A source from Uber told mid- day that records such as contact details of a passenger and his/ her pick- up and drop- off point are always kept with Uber for any civil or criminal offence. u201c Time and again, we have been cooperating with the police and other law enforcement agencies.
We are prompt in delivering full details of a passenger to the police in case of any investigation,u201d the source said.
Gaur said irrespective of what Uber has told him, he will take the same steps if he met a similar situation again. u201c The best way would be to peacefully drive my cab to the nearest police station so that the intention of the passenger can be thoroughly investigated. I donu2019t regret taking Bappadittya Sarkar to the police. I would do it again if anyone is being anti- national.u201d u2018 Uber cares about biz, not national securityu2019 Uber ID of driver who took protester to Santacruz police reactivated. He says he would take the same steps again Rohit Singh Gaur
