Uber banned in Indian capital after alleged rape

The Delhi administration prohibited the pay-per-ride company Uber from operating any of its transport services within its boundaries following the rape of a finance professional on Friday. The "Transport Department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by www.uber.com with immediate effect," officials said in a statement widely publicized in the Indian media.

The 25-year-old finance professional was returning home after dinner with friends when she ordered a car using the Uber app on her smartphone. Authorities say she fell asleep on her way and was taken by the driver, Shiv Kumar Yadav, to a secluded spot where she was raped.

Yadav dropped the victim home and abandoned his car. He was found and arrested on Sunday in his hometown, Mathura, some 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the national capital, New Delhi.

Insufficient checks

Police investigations revealed that 32-year-old Yadav had a past record of sexual assault and was arrested and imprisoned for seven months in 2011. He was later acquitted.

Indian officials blamed Uber for failing to do sufficient background checks and were considering legal action against the service. Madhur Verma, deputy commissioner with the Delhi police, told the Reuters news agency: "Every violation by Uber will be evaluated and we will go for legal recourse."

The Indian Express, among other media organizations, also reported that Uber operated with an app in India and did not have a call center in the country. The San Fransisco firm operates entirely virtually and the only spokesperson authorized to speak on its operations in India is based in Singapore.

Uber, on its part, hinted that the Indian government's records for licensing were not complete. In a statement on the company's blog, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick wrote: "We will work with the government to establish clear background checks currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs."

A sensitive issue

Rape in India has been a prominent issue ever since a young physiotherapist was brutally assaulted by a gang of men in December 2012. The Indian government introduced legislations last year to speed up procedures related to registering a police case and trials for convicting the accused. However, lapses still occur.

More than 25,000 rapes are committed in India every year, according to official statistics, although original numbers may be much higher, say activists, who argue that victims are often threatened to stay quiet or get cowed down by cultural norms that inhibit discussions of sexual violence, as well as complicated juridical procedures.

mg/mkg (AP, Reuters)