New Delhi Bans Uber After Alleged Rape

New Delhi banned Uber from operating in the Indian capital on Monday after one of its drivers was accused of raping a passenger. “Keeping in view the violation and the horrific crime committed by the driver, the transport department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by the www.Uber.com with immediate effect,” read a statement from the transport department. Police officials say the Internet taxi service failed to do an adequate background check on Shiv Kumar Yadav, who is accused of raping a 26-year-old woman when she fell asleep in his vehicle. He had already been charged with raping a female passenger in 2011. He served two years in jail but was acquitted when the woman was deemed a hostile witness. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said the company would do “everything to bring the perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family in her recovery.” However, Kalanick didn’t miss an opportunity to also place blame on India, saying established background checks are “currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs.”