Ushoshi Sengupta, a resident of Kolkata who won the Miss India pageant in 2010 and went on to represent the country at Miss Universe 2010, shared a post on Facebook that shook the nation. In the post that has gone viral, Ushoshi’s recounts her cab journey last night and the details of her Uber driver getting harassed by a mob of young men.
“Last night 17th June 2019 at around 11:40 pm I took an uber from JW Marriott Kolkata to go back home after finishing work, since I work with the Media and Entertainment industry working late hours is necessary in my job profile. I was accompanied by my colleague. We were taking a left turn from the Exide crossing towards Elgin while few boys in a bike (without helmet) came and hit the Uber. To which they stopped the bike and started yelling at the driver,” Ushoshi stated.
She alleged that the men banged on the car, and the police refused to help her when she tried to file a complain, “In a fraction of second there were 15 boys and they all started banging the car window and dragging the driver out. They dragged the driver and started beating him up. This is when I stepped out and started shouting taking a video of the incident (attached below). I ran across the street to Maidan Police station , I saw an officer standing and I requested him to come with me, he told me that this is not under them but under the jurisdiction of Bhawanipore Police station. This is when I broke down I begged them to come or else the boys would have killed the driver. The officers came and held the boys saying why are they creating nuisance. The boys pushed the police officers and ran away. After everything was over two officers from Bhawanipore police station came, by then it was 12am. I requested the driver to drop me and my colleague home and decided to take it up with the police station tomorrow morning.”
Here Is The Video She Took During The Incident
But it didn’t end there. Even after she decided to go home with her colleague, the boys followed their car and continued to harass them. “To my utter surprise the boys followed us till my colleague’s house and right when we were dropping him near lake gardens govt housing, 6 of the boys in 3 bikes came and stopped my car, threw stones, broke the car. Dragged me out and tried to break my phone to delete the video. My colleague jumped out out of fear and I was completely shaken. I came out started shouting by now the locals had come out,” she wrote.
Even after she went to another police station to file her complaint, the Uber driver, Tarak Debnath’s FIR was rejected, despite his car being severely damaged. “I took a breather and called my dad and my sister. Considering it happens in the next lane and in my locality (my para). The cops came told me to do an FIR at Charu Market police station. I went there Met the sub inspector who told me my complain will be only taken by the Bhawanipore police station. At this point I gave up and started shouting. 1:30 am. No female police officer at the station. After raising a lot of questions the officer took my complain but refused to take the uber drivers complain stating that 2 FIR’s can’t be taken for the same complain. And he told me that it’s against the law. My uber driver insisted that he wants to do the complain but the officers didn’t take it. I am attaching the video of the mob and the picture of the broken car,” Ushoshi wrote.
She concluded the post by saying, “Last night absolutely shook me. This is not the Kolkata I came back to, not the Kolkata I left flourishing career outside to come back and live. I represented Kolkata and won the title of Miss India I represent this city, I represent this county I stand up for every girl every citizen who is scared to live in this situation. Dispite making the FIR I never saw any steps being taken against the boys. And not only the locals the police also could identify the boys in the video.”
The police began to pay heed to Ushoshi’s complaint once her story began to get reported, they even tweeted to her. “We have taken this incident very seriously and seven persons have been arrested so far. On the order of the Commissioner of Police, Kolkata, an inquiry regarding the non-registration of F.I.R. has been initiated into this incident, at a very senior level,” read the tweet.
An inquiry by the police has revealed that the cab initially brushed against one of the bikes, causing the bike to hit the ground and one of its rear-view mirrors to break. This caused the mob to begin harassing the driver for money, leading up to the events.
Featured Image: Instagram, Facebook
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