Cabbie throws passengers out for ‘casteist remarks’, app removes him for 100 years

Lucknow: A 30-year-old Dalit taxi driver in the city claimed that a ride-sharing service terminated his account for a period of "99 years and 11 months" after he asked four passengers to leave his vehicle due to their repeated use of casteist insults during a recent trip. Ankit Kumar, who holds a diploma in mechanical engineering, said the incident occurred on Monday morning when he picked up the four passengers from Utrahtia railway station to take them to Charbagh railway station.

According to Ankit, the passengers were first abusing a senior officer and then persistently used derogatory language about his caste and doubted his competence. Despite Ankit's repeated requests for them to stop using caste-based slurs, he said they continued. Eventually, Ankit stopped his cab near Telibagh market, asked all four passengers to disembark, and recorded a video of the altercation.

The video was widely circulated on social media. In the footage, Ankit is seen arguing with the passengers over the alleged casteist comments, and he claims that he was verbally abused during the confrontation near a police outpost. Following the video's circulation, Ankit said he has received abusive and threatening messages on social media.

He also alleged that the ride-sharing platform suspended his driver account without first seeking his perspective on the events. The suspension has severely impacted Ankit's livelihood, as he is the sole breadwinner in his family. His father works as a daily-wage laborer, while his mother is a homemaker. The ride-sharing platform's response to the allegations was not immediately available.