Rapido Lifts 100-Year Suspension of Dalit Driver Ankit Kumar After Caste-Row in Lucknow

Lucknow- Ride-hailing platform Rapido has lifted the nearly 100-year suspension imposed on Dalit driver Ankit Kumar following a controversy over an altercation with four passengers in Lucknow, bringing a dramatic turn to a case that had triggered questions over caste discrimination, platform accountability and the treatment of gig workers.

Kumar has now released a video confirming that his Rapido account has been restored. The development was also shared in a social-media post by Anjul Bamhrolia, which described the lifting of the 99-year ban.

The reversal comes days after Kumar said Rapido had suspended his driver account until July 19, 2126 - a period of 99 years and 11 months. The suspension notification cited “abusive language/double-meaning conversation/usage of abusive words” as the reason for the action.

In the video released after the suspension was lifted, Kumar confirms that Rapido has restored his account. The development effectively ends the immediate livelihood crisis created by the extraordinary suspension, although questions remain about why the account was initially suspended for such a long period and whether the company conducted a proper inquiry before taking action.

Kumar had earlier alleged in a video that Rapido acted on the passengers’ complaint without first hearing his version of the incident. He had said that the company should at least have asked him what had happened before suspending his account.

After the initial video went viral, strong objections from Bahujan communities and civil society organisations, along with the trending #BoycottRapido campaign, reportedly mounted pressure on the company to lift the suspension.

The latest development is significant because Kumar is a mechanical engineering diploma holder who drives a cab to support his family. He had said that he was the sole earning member of his household, while his father works as a daily-wage labourer and his mother is a homemaker.

Background: How the Rapido controversy began

The controversy began in Lucknow after Kumar picked up four passengers from Utrahtia railway station for a ride to Charbagh railway station.

According to Kumar's account, the passengers were discussing a senior railway officer during the journey. He alleged that their conversation included repeated casteist and derogatory references to the officer and his community. Kumar, who said he belonged to the community being targeted, objected to the remarks and asked them several times to stop.

When the passengers allegedly continued, Kumar stopped the vehicle near Telibagh Market and asked all four to get out. A confrontation followed outside the vehicle, with people gathering at the spot. A video of the incident subsequently went viral on social media.

Kumar said he had no personal dispute with the passengers and that his objection was specifically to what he believed were casteist remarks. He also said that he subsequently received abusive and threatening messages after the video spread online.

Why did the “99 years 11 months” suspension become controversial?

After the incident, Kumar's Rapido account was suspended. The suspension notification reportedly showed an end date of July 19, 2126 effectively making it a lifetime ban for a 30-year-old driver.

The extraordinary duration of the suspension immediately became a central issue in the controversy. Kumar alleged that the company did not seek his explanation before taking action.

The Mooknayak had earlier consulted legal experts on the issue. The legal view cited in the report was that a platform can take action against a driver under its contractual terms and conditions. However, imposing an almost century-long suspension without giving the driver an opportunity to explain his side raises questions of procedural fairness and proportionality, particularly when the action directly affects a person's livelihood.

The earlier report also noted that a suspension lasting 99 years or more effectively operates as a permanent ban.

The controversy later took another turn after the passengers gave their account of the incident.

According to reports, the passengers denied using casteist slurs against a Dalit community. They said that they themselves belonged to Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities and that the conversation Kumar interpreted as a casteist reference concerned a railway position referred to as “Triple-C”.

The case has moved beyond the original argument inside a cab. It has raised questions about how app-based platforms investigate complaints involving drivers and passengers, what safeguards exist for gig workers facing abuse or discrimination, and whether automated or highly punitive account restrictions can effectively deprive workers of their livelihood without a meaningful hearing.

BSP National Coordinator Akash Anand had strongly reacted to the case. He linked the incident to the larger debate on reservation, stating that even 80 years after Independence, casteist mentality continues to hold deep roots in society. Reservation, he said, is not merely for economic empowerment but for social transformation.

However, now for Kumar, the lifting of the suspension means he can return to the platform. But the episode has also left unanswered questions about the basis for the original 99-year-and-11-month penalty and the process through which Rapido arrived at that decision.

As of now, the lifting of the suspension is the latest development in the dispute; the competing claims of Kumar and the passengers remain part of the controversy.