Bengaluru, (IANS)| A Bengaluru-based cab driver has filed a complaint against Kannada actress Sanjanna Galrani for allegedly abusing her for not turning on the air-conditioner in a taxi. The cab driver says that running an AC is against Karnataka’s COVID-19 guidelines, but Galrani said on social media that she was harassed by the cab driver and didn’t mention anything about the COVID-19 guidelines. Meanwhile, the video of the incident has gone viral.
The cab driver said in his complaint that Sanjana had boarded her taxi near Dommalur here on Tuesday morning. She sat in the vehicle and asked me to turn on the air-conditioner. He said, “I refused to turn on the air-conditioner as per the government’s COVID-19 guidelines. However, he raised his voice and said that I should turn on the air-conditioner and I should keep it at level 1.
Recalling the incident in her complaint, the driver said, “The actress raised it to level 4 and abused me. She also threatened to register a kidnapping case against me and run a campaign against me on social media platforms. I told Karnataka Have taken up the matter with the Drivers Federation.” Responding to the incident, Sanjana said that she is saddened by it. “After all, can I challenge a cab driver? I would never go that low. So many women are humiliated and turned off by cab drivers despite paying full fare. As a customer, it I have the right to ask for good service. The allegations leveled by the cab driver are nothing more than mere stories.”
Explaining the sequence of events, Sanjana said on social media on Wednesday, “Initially, the driver said that he would not turn on the AC at all and he was quite adamant. Then he was yelling at me. He once said Also didn’t use the words ‘Covid rules’ and no covid rules were in writing for us. I’m paying for an AC car and it’s the customer’s right to ask to turn on the air-conditioning.” Sanjana continued, “Finally, he put the AC on Level 1 with four people in the car and we adjusted that too. If a driver threatened to drop off any woman in the middle of the road with a large 35 kg suitcase In particular, when he is not medically permitted to lift heavy weights, he must be strong.”
Sanjanna said, “I didn’t abuse a single word. I just asked him if he would treat his mother or sister the same way in such a situation. The shooting location was 50 meters away. This man was taking us to the wrong address. and was dropping us on the road instead of dropping us at the right place.” He said, “I asked him if he would again demand Rs 10,000. I spoke firmly only because he was too arrogant and was forcing us to land at the wrong address. I called the police at 10:30 am. Called the phone and informed them that the driver was not stopping the car and was making us go round and round. Intentionally increasing the meter reading and not cooperating in taking me to the correct address.”
It was only after calling the police, the actress said, that the driver stopped the car, confirmed the address and dropped it at the right place within five minutes. At the same time, she said, “I respect the pain of the working class people, but enough is enough. I can no longer make up a fake story against myself.” However, Rajarajeshwarinagar police is investigating the matter.