Bengaluru Road Rage: Woman Assaults Auto Driver With Slipper, Apologises After Police FIR

Bengaluru: A road rage incident in Bengaluru's Bellandur signal turned violent on Saturday after a woman assaulted an auto-rickshaw driver with her chappal. The altercation, captured in a now-viral video, escalated when the driver began recording the woman repeatedly thrashing him.

The Road Rage

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon near Centra Mall, Bellandur, around 3–4 PM. According to the police complaint filed by the auto-driver, Lokesh, the confrontation began during a lane merge. Lokesh has claimed in the report that he was driving on the right while the woman, identified as Pankhuri Mishra, approached from the left on a two-wheeler, with her husband riding as a pillion.

Although there was allegedly no contact between the vehicles, Mishra accused Lokesh of hitting her, which Lokesh denied. The dispute intensified when Lokesh started recording the argument on his phone. Enraged, Mishra hit him multiple times with her slipper after a verbal spat.

In the video, Lokesh can be heard saying (translated from Kannada): “She is coming in the middle of the road, and the auto did not even touch her vehicle. One can check the CCTV cameras around the location for verification.”

Internet Reacts

The incident went viral on social media, drawing strong reactions. After the video went viral, Lokesh purportedly filed a formal complaint at the Bellandur police station.It is worth noting that Bengaluru Police's official X account took cognisance of the incident, urging the owner of the account that shared the video to contact the police. An FIR against Mishra was allegedly launched, with the police reviewing CCTV footage and eyewitness statements as part of their investigation.

The video went viral on X, with many people reacting by calling the woman "arrogant". Some more comments on the video are:

One user says, “At least according to this video she started the physical assault first. It's an escalation uncalled for. Bad attitude. The auto driver's tone was non-provoking.”

Another comment reads "A Hindi-speaking girl assaulted auto guy with slippers in Bengaluru. Girl says the auto touched her vehicle. The auto driver says you can check the CCTV cameras his auto didn't touch her vehicle. @BlrCityPolice arrest the lady for attacking auto guy."

The Aftermath

After the incident, a new video surfaced showing Mishra and her husband, apologising to Lokesh and bowing at his feet. "I apologise. I am pregnant. So, that is what I was thinking, what would happen if I had a miscarriage," she told the driver.

They also said they love Bengaluru and its culture, stating that they have lived here for three years and that they respect all the auto drivers.

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