Uber cab set on fire by drivers on strike in Delhi, row intensifies

New Delhi:The strike by app-based aggregator Ola and Uber drivers took an ugly turn on Tuesday night after a cab was set on fire in Shakti Khand, Indirapuram. The incident took place when a cab driver Rahul Kumar was on way to his home after dropping a passenger at Vaishali, Sector-5. Several bike-borne men stopped him and allegedly pushed Rahul out of the car and set his cab on fire.

While talking to English daily Hindustan Times, the cabbie said, “There were nearly 15-20 protesting drivers who were hovering around on bikes. They hurled stones and I had to stop before they poured inflammable substance and set my car afire. They took away one mobile while two mobiles got burnt inside the car. I have been driving for Uber for the past 3-4 months.”

A special correspondent of the daily posted the video of the entire incident on his Twitter account.

“We got a call from the control room about the incident. By the time we reached the spot, the cab was already in flames. The driver had de-boarded and did not sustain any injuries. He told us that the car was set afire by protesters,” said Ajay Sharma, fire safety officer, Vaishali told the daily.

“Around 50,000 drivers across Bengaluru, up to 25,000 drivers in Hyderabad, and approximately 5,000 drivers in Chennai have planned to announce a strike on February 15 even as their agitation in the capital continues,” an Economic Times report claimed.

As per the reports, the drivers are demanding an increase in incentives, provision of sufficient insurance policies and reduction of working hours. The demand for insurance was sparked off after an accident took place in New Delhi, wherein the Uber driver lost his life. Uber and Ola drivers are planning to expand their strikes to other major cities like Bengaluru and Chennai.