My 18yo brother was brutally assaulted by a mob of 20 people on his FIRST DAY at Zepto (Lingarajapuram, Bangalore). He was beaten and his face was scratched for refusing to join an "order-blocking" scam.
I am writing this out of sheer anger and helplessness. My younger brother is 18 years old. To earn some pocket money, he joined Zepto as a delivery partner. Today was his very first day.
He went to the Lingarajapuram hub in Bangalore to start his shift. While he was there, he started accepting orders on his bicycle as the app prompted him. A group of 15–20 other delivery partners cornered him and told him not to accept orders. Apparently, they were "blocking" orders to force a surge/bonus and didn't want a new kid 'ruining' their scheme by actually working.
When my brother refused and tried to do his job honestly, the mob turned on him.
• They swarmed and manhandled him.
• They beat him up and left multiple scratches on his face.
• They tore his t-shirt and vandalized his bicycle (deflated tires and damaged the frame).
It is terrifying that a teenager can be mobbed by 20 grown men in broad daylight at a corporate delivery hub while the management does nothing.
We are in the process of filing an FIR, but I want to bring this to light. Is this the reality of the 'Gig Economy' in India? Where honest kids get beaten up for working while goons run the hubs?
Please help me tag Zepto and Bangalore Police on social media so this doesn't get swept under the rug.