Hyderabad: In a first, an auto rickshaw driver was awarded eight days prison time for misbehaving with a woman passenger in Afzalgunj, Hyderabad. This is a good sign that police and courts are addressing the complaints of citizens and punishing offenders Three days ago, a 32-year-old woman boarded an auto from Nampally to go home. She asked the driver to take a different route but the driver, J. Amar Singh, began “scolding her and called her names. When she questioned his tone, he misbehaved with her,” said Police Inspector of Afzalgunj, P. Gnanendar Reddy.
Their auto halted at Chaderghat and an argument broke out between the two. The woman went to the police station and lodged a complaint against the driver. “We took down her version and filed a petty case against the man and kept his Aadhar card and asked him to appear in court for a fine,” the police officer said.
When the driver appeared before the Third Special Metropolitan Magistrate court on Tuesday to pay the fine, the court announced an eight day imprisonment for his behaviour as a public servant towards the woman. Awarding prison time for misbehaving with a passenger is unheard of, said M. Vinod Kanumula of the Indian Federation of Road Safety. Not every such case is taken to the police or the media, but it is a step that is appreciated and shows a serious attempt to crack down on such offenders, he added.
