Rapido auto driver grilled in Gurgaon for being Muslim; social media calls it ‘disgusting reality’ in India
Social media users shared experiences of discrimination and Islamophobia in northern India, highlighting incidents of prejudice in housing and transportation.
A man from Kerala shared a shocking experience of Islamophobia in Gurgaon. On Reddit, he wrote that it happened after he had booked a Rapido auto late at night near his society in Sector 40.
When the driver arrived, a resident stopped him and began questioning his identity. The driver, who appeared to be Muslim, was asked why he was there. He was even asked to show his phone. The driver was treated with suspicion just for his appearance.
“Like WTF? The poor guy kept saying it’s a ride, but this clown just wouldn’t stop,” the man wrote, “I intervened and told him, this is my ride, I live here, who are you to decide who comes and who doesn’t? Where’s the rule that says Muslims can’t enter?”
The Reddit user explained to the society “uncle” that Rapido rides were tracked, making such suspicion meaningless.
“Bro, this is Rapido, everything is tracked. I’m more scared of nosy pricks like you than the driver,” the Kerala man told the person.
He later wrote that he might shift elsewhere if his society shared such a mindset.
“I am from Kerala, and I have never seen this kind of shit before. People always say intolerance is rising in India and I used to think maybe it’s exaggerated, Nope,” he wrote.
Calling it a “disgusting” reality, he added that he realised many people still had to prove their existence on a daily basis.
“Imagine having to prove your damn existence to random strangers every night just because of your religion to make the ends meet, that’s the reality some people live in. And it’s l disgusting,” the Reddit post concluded.
Social media reactions
Many other Reddit users agreed with the OP and slammed the discrimination.
“Gurgaon is an absolute sh*thole of a place. Literally the worst f**king place in India I have ever lived. The people here are also extremely fake, arrogant and racist. I have had multiple bad encounters with Haryanvi illiterates without even doing anything. Relocate while you can, this place is seriously not worth it,” wrote one user.
“Many people from Delhi and other parts of north india are also extremely vain and toxic,” wrote another.
“I've been denied houses on rent for multiple years now in both Bangalore and Gurgaon, in posh colonies. Mind you, I'm a techie from a tier 1 college in India, married and not religious. Eventually this and other discriminations led me to shift to the US,” came from a social media user, who apparently spoke about Islamophobia.
Another user from Kerala wrote, “Is this your first time in North India? It was a shocker for me when a real estate broker asked for my religion (I guess my name wasn’t Hindu enough for him). Sensing my reaction, he quickly added, ‘Don’t worry, it’s just to make sure you’re not a Muslim’.”