B'luru Ola driver row: Driver arrested for assaulting student, to incur Rs 30,000 expenses for bail
Bengaluru: An Ola autorickshaw driver, R Muthuraj, was arrested by Magadi Road police for slapping and threatening a college student after she cancelled a ride. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday evening, was captured on the student’s mobile phone and quickly went viral, sparking widespread public outrage.
Muthuraj has been charged under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) s.74 (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and s.352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace). The Chikkalasandra resident was denied station bail and was instead presented before the court, where he was remanded to judicial custody.
A senior police officer stressed on the gravity of the situation, stating, "This was a rogue act. The accused verbally abused and physically assaulted a young woman in broad daylight, all because she cancelled a ride. Such behaviour is unacceptable, and we decided to bring him before the court to demonstrate the seriousness of the offence."
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Muthuraj now faces at least four days in custody and is expected to incur legal expenses of around Rs 30,000 to secure bail. "He'll have to wait until Monday to apply for bail, and even if it's granted, the paperwork won't be completed until Tuesday or Wednesday," an investigating officer explained.
When questioned, Muthuraj admitted to losing his temper over the cancelled ride but was unable to justify his actions.
The incident has led to authorities considering suspending Muthuraj's driving license. C Mallikarjuna, additional commissioner of transport (enforcement), confirmed that a report has been sought from the jurisdictional RTO to initiate action against the driver.
Ola has not responded to inquiries about its policy on ride cancellations or the actions taken against the driver.
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
