9th March 2021
An Uber passenger refused to wear a mask and assaulted the driver, who hails from Nepal, in the US. The video of the incident has gone viral.
A video of an Uber driver from Nepal getting mistreated by three female passengers after he asked one of them to wear a mask has gone viral. The video was shared on Twitter by Dion Lim, a reporter on ABC7 News.
According to Lim, Subhakar Khadka, the Uber driver, had picked up three women from the Bay view area in San Francisco, California, US on March 8. Subhakar was subjected to slurs, taunting, and a physical assault after he asked one of the passengers to wear her mask.
Reportedly, when the riders did not wear a mask, he politely informed them that he was canceling the ride and that they needed to leave his vehicle. In the video shared by Lim, they can be seen hitting him, yanking the mask off his face, and trying to steal his phone. They also pepper-sprayed him. After the traumatic incident, Subahkar then took a few days off.
UBER’S STATEMENT ON THE INCIDENT
Following the incident, an Uber spokesperson sent a statement to Lim that said, “The behavior seen in the video is appalling. The rider no longer has access to Uber.”
Uber then offered him $40. In the end, he was given $120 for his ordeal.
Lakshmi Madhusoodanan
Research intern