Delhi police have filed an FIR (first information report) under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which relates to cheating. “In investigations so far, it emerged that the company cheated their customer on the pretext of providing safe commuting with duly verified driver,” deputy commissioner of police (north) Madhur Verma told PTI.
Uber driver was also arrested for rape in 2013 http://t.co/azgK820aMh
— TOI India (@TOIIndiaNews) December 9, 2014
The reference is to the claim on the Uber site that its drivers have been screened. “Every ride-sharing driver is thoroughly screened through a rigorous process we’ve developed using constantly improving standards. The specifics vary depending on what local governments allow, but within each city we operate, we aim to go above and beyond local requirements to ensure your comfort and security.” This is what Uber’s users are told but apparently the checking is cursory at best.
Uber’s general manager, marketing, Gagan Bhatia appeared before Delhi police yesterday to answer questions. According to police, there was no clarity on how many of the 4,000 Uber drivers in Delhi have been verified by cops or have licenses.
It is worth pointing out here that police verification and transport licensing systems lack rigor in India. So it’s not as though they will screen out all criminal elements. I have myself come across a number of people who got licenses or certificates from police without undergoing any checks.
Even the accused Uber driver Shiv Kumar Yadav had a “character certificate” from a senior police official, even though he had a string of criminal cases registered against him.
No action on policeman who issued character certificate in Aug, he spent 7mnths jailtime for rape.
#DelhiShamedAgain pic.twitter.com/eh7p6Qn0MR
— AAP Youth Wing Delhi (@AAPYouthwing) December 8, 2014
That he spent seven months in jail before being acquitted in 2011 on a rape charge in Delhi has been widely reported. But now it turns out that several other cases had been booked against him. Just last year, there was a case of rape and robbery against him at Elau, near his village in Uttar Pradesh. In fact, the police records at Elau on Shiv Kumar Yadav go all the way back to 2003 when he was first charged for attempt to rape and criminal assault. There were also cases against him under the Goonda’s Act (goonda is a hired thug in Indian English), robbery, and arson. In 2009, he was prohibited from visiting his village, and he had been living in Delhi ever since with the widow of his elder brother whom he married.
So however unpopular Uber CEO Travis Kalanick may be, he was not off the mark when he criticized the current commercial driver and vehicle licensing system in India. “We will work with the government to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs,” he said in a statement. The fact is that the nets meant to filter out criminal elements like Shiv Kumar Yadav are quite porous and Uber officials have pointed out that nearly one third of the licenses in India are fake.
The moot point here is that Uber claims to be using technology to improve the situation, but whatever has come out so far paints a very different picture.
Nidhi Shah, who was on a visit to India from the US, had complained to Uber about the lewd behaivour of the same driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav just six days before the rape. Uber responded to her promising to check on the driver.
I took a cab with Shiv Kumar Yadav in Delhi on Nov 26th. Scares me beyond belief. #DelhiShamedAgain
— Nidhi Shah (@nps2113) December 8, 2014
I had reported Shiv Kumar Yadav to @Uber on Nov 26th. They said via email they would check on him. Not soon enough. #DelhiShamedAgain
— Nidhi Shah (@nps2113) December 8, 2014
my receipt for the nov 26th ride with the rapist Shiv Kumar Yadav @uber #DelhiShamedAgain pic.twitter.com/Ho4ZpA3xbn
— Nidhi Shah (@nps2113) December 9, 2014
email from @uber regarding my feedback about Shiv #DelhiShamedAgain pic.twitter.com/e4Hl6dEI4f
— Nidhi Shah (@nps2113) December 9, 2014
The horrific crime in Delhi could have been prevented at various levels – by those who gave the accused a driving license, by the police who gave him a character certificate, by the judiciary who let him off the hook despite his past record, by those at Uber who onboarded him after going through his documents, and by those who did nothing about Nidhi Shah’s complaint.
What vexes me is that every time such a crime happens in India, everybody from ministers, to women’s bodies, to media cry hoarse and list out everything that needs to be done. And then after things quieten down, it is business as usual. Until the next crime. The systems remain just as weak as ever. It’s all the more frustrating if even technology is not harnessed to improve the situation.
See: I fell for Uber’s safe image because I didn’t – and still don’t – have better options
This post How the Uber rape could’ve been prevented at various stages, but wasn’t appeared first on Tech in Asia.
How the Uber rape could’ve been prevented at various stages, but wasn’t
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