Uber Driver Taken Man to Police Station Due to CAA
A Jaipur-based poet was driven to the Santacruz police station without his knowledge by an Uber driver, who had heard him talking over the phone about the anti-CAA/NRC protests.
Bappadittya Sarkar is a 23 year old Jaipur-based poet. He performs at festivals across the country and was on stage at the Kala Ghoda festival on February 3. He has since sung almost every day at the Nagpada protest in Mumbai which is a non-stop sit-in against the CAA/NRC. On 5th Feb he was in Juhu when he took an Uber to his friend's house at 11:00pm. In the Uber he was busy talking on the phone about CAA and NRC.
Suddenly the driver Rohit Singh asked if he could go to the ATM to withdraw money. Sarkar agreed and the driver went and withdrew money. After this Suddenly the car stopped outside the Santacruz police station. Two police men came and told Rohit to come to the police station.
The driver told the police, Sir aap isko andar lo. Yeh desh jalaane ki baat kar raha tha. Mere paas pura recording hain” (Please arrest him. He was talking of setting the country on fire. I have recorded his conversation). Sarkar was shocked. The driver then told Rohit, ``You think we will just sit and watch as you people go about destroying the country.”The police interrogated Sarkar for close to two hours before he was let off at around 1 am this is because a lawyer had helped him.
But before the cops let him walk, they gave him a piece of advice – “Avoid wearing this red scarf you have around your neck and don’t carry your ‘daphli’ everywhere. These are delicate times.” Rohit said he was very afraid the driver would track him as the driver had details of his address. Rohit said he will never forget what the driver said. The driver told Rohit in front of the police,“Main tujhe kahin bhi le ja sakta tha, shukar karo main tujhe police station le kar aaya hoon” (I could have taken you anywhere. Consider yourself lucky that I brought you to a police station.)
