Mumbai: A Mumbai-based poet-activist was, on Wednesday, February 5, taken to the police station by his Uber driver, after the latter overheard the former talking about an anti-CAA protest over the phone.

According to a report by NDTV, Bappadittya Sarkar, the poet, stated to the police that he had taken an Uber from Juhu to Kurla at around 10.30 PM on Wednesday, and spoke about the people’s discomfort with the “Laal Salaam” slogan at the Shaheen Bagh protest in Delhi with his friend over the phone.

Hearing the discussion, the driver of the cab informed the police and accused Sarkar of being a “communist” who wants to burn the country and make another Shaheen Bagh in Mumbai.

The incident was tweeted by activist, Kavita Krishnan, with the caption “scary episode”. Sarkar’s statement to the police was also attached to the tweet.

Mr Sarkar said in a statement, tweeted by Ms Krishnan, that he took an Uber cab from Juhu to Kurla around 10:30 pm on Wednesday. During the journey, he was discussing with his friend (on a mobile phone) people’s discomfort with the “Laal Salaam” slogan at the Shaheen Bagh protest in Delhi.

According to Sarkar’s statement, the driver, who was listening to his conversation, stopped the cab and under the pretext of wanting to withdraw money from the ATM, went and fetched two policemen, who allegedly asked him why he was carrying a “dafli” (a percussion instrument). They also asked him for his address.

The poet-activist explained to the police that he was from Jaipur and that he had visiter the anti-CAA “Mumbai Bagh” protest earlier in the day. He explained to them that he was carrying the dafli because he was “sloganeering”.

Reportedly, the Uber driver asked the police to arrest Sarkar as “he was saying he was a communist, was talking about burning the country and making a Shaheen Bagh in Mumbai”.

When Sarkar asked the cabbie why he did not speak to him about his issues, the driver told him that he should be happy he was taken to the police and not “elsewhere”, NDTV reported.

When the driver informed thathe had recorded Sarkar’s phone conversation, the latter requested the police to listen to the conversation and asked the driver what was so offensive.

The Uber driver’s description on the app reads: “He drives because it allows him to study different characters and personalities”.

Sarkar, NDTV reports, felt unnerved by the incident.

He added that the police asked him “absurd” questions like his father’s salary and how he managed to live without a job. They also repeatedly asked him why he was carrying the “Dafli”.

Sarkar, however, said that the police were polite with him and asked the two parties to record their statements.

When another activist, S Gohil reached the police station, Sarkar was allowed to go.

Sarkar sayd that the police advised him not to carry the ‘Dafli’ or wear a red scarf, “as the atmosphere is not good and anything can happen”, Krishnan wrote in her tweet.

Tagging the Mumbai Police and Uber, Krishnan added in another tweet that the incident was a “glimpse of scary India under NPR NRC CAA, where every person will be incentivised to suspect and turn in others and police can harass everyone”.

While the Mumbai Police asked Krishnan to send them “the exact details of case in DM (direct message)”, Uber India Support replied saying that the incident was “concerning”.

“We’d like to address this on priority. Kindly share the registered details from which the trip was requested,” Uber said.

With inputs from PTI