‘Slim or fat...’: Bengaluru auto driver’s appeal for ‘respect’ for all women goes viral; netizens question intentions

Auto-rickshaws in Bengaluru have been catching a lot of attention on social media in recent times. One such auto in the city is now "internet-famous" for a message on its back to "respect" all women.

The message, seemingly put on for empowering reasons, sparked a debate online where netizens claimed it was provocative.

Here is what the message read: "Slim or fat, black or white, virgin or not. All girls deserve respect."

Sharing a picture of the auto, a woman who goes by the name “retired sports fan” said, “Some radical feminism on the roads of Bangalore.” The user also said she thinks it is a joke.

Take a look at the auto-rickshaw:

The post gained traction on social media and gained 87.6K views in 2 days.

“It’s not even radical,” jested one user in the comment, while another admitted to seeing “worse”.

“I’ve seen worse,” the user commented and shared an image of another contentious auto display.

"Rick Wale Bhaiya is more civilized than most of those techbros in Bangalore," said a user.

Another added: "How hard is it to just say that all girls deserve respect?"

"But not speaking kannada is where they draw the line," one user quipped referring to the on-going language row in the city.

Recently, another auto driver had gained attention online for replacing his seat with an office chair for added comfort. Netizens had quipped it as a “Peak Bengaluru” moment.

“Auto driver’s seat had an office chair fixed for extra comfort, man i love bangalore,” Shivani Matlapudi, product designer at CRED, wrote in her post.

Recently, Flipkart also launched a campaign in Bengaluru, offering auto-rickshaw rides at just Re 1 during peak traffic hours. This quickly gained attention on social media. Activated at select locations during peak office hours, the company equipped local auto rickshaws with Flipkart's UPI payment systems.