A troubling incident involving an auto-rickshaw driver in Mumbai has triggered widespread anger after a video emerged online showing the driver allegedly directing sexually explicit comments at a female passenger.
The controversy intensified after a post on X (formerly Twitter) circulated content from a young woman's Instagram story. In the video, the auto-rickshaw driver can allegedly be heard saying, “pe**s ekdum strong ho gaya hai, aap khud dekhiye, ek baar haath lagakar dekhiye,” as the woman steps out of the vehicle.
The video quickly spread across social media platforms, drawing strong reactions from users who condemned the driver's alleged behaviour and demanded action from authorities.
Social media post draws attention
The viral post described the incident in explicit terms and tagged law enforcement authorities, urging them to intervene.
“This autowala is saying
‘AB PENIS JYADA STRONG AUR BADA HO GAYA HAI, CHUKAR DEKHO’
to a girl.
This is her ID. This is her INSTA story.
@MumbaiPolice
any action?”
As the post gained traction, thousands of users weighed in on the incident, expressing concern over women's safety in public spaces.
Mumbai police respond
In response to the online backlash, Mumbai Police took note of the complaint and reached out to the individual who had uploaded the post.“We have followed you. Please share your contact details in DM,” the police department replied through its official social media account.
Although officials have not released additional information, many users welcomed the response and urged that the matter be investigated thoroughly.
Debate over women's safety in public transport
The episode has renewed debate about the harassment women encounter on public transportation. Numerous social media users remarked that the incident calls into question Mumbai’s image as one of India’s safer cities for women who commute.“this is shocking, Mumbai is supposed to be safest city for females in india,” one user wrote.
Another person remarked, "This is why I stopped using public transport a long time ago. Such a sick mentality."Multiple users emphasized that verbal harassment alone can cause enduring psychological harm to victims and must be taken seriously.
This is absolutely revolting, but thank God she managed to record it, because people in India expect women to wear body cameras around the clock so there’s ‘sufficient’ evidence and they can insist on hearing ‘both sides’ of the story.
Claims and counterclaims surface online
As debate grew more heated, several social media users cast doubt on the video’s authenticity, suggesting the encounter might have been orchestrated. These assertions have not been substantiated.“She paid the rickshaw driver to say it no rickshaw driver would say penis, btw fyi she has deleted that reel lmaoo, using innocent men for views hahaha only a pa***ta can do that,” one user alleged.
No public evidence has been provided to substantiate these allegations, and officials have not suggested that the complaint is false.
Note: TBC could not verify the authenticity of the viral video