It was a pleasant morning of April 27th 2025 and I was enjoying my breakfast in Manali. After a wonderful three day trip, I was set to return back home and enjoy the journey through the hills. Little did I know that how my journey would become life threatening. This is my experience post which I too believe that women should travel in groups.
Mangal Singh: The Cab Driver
It was 11:45am and I received a call from Mangal Singh, the cab driver who told me that he had reached the hotel and was ready to leave. At 12pm, I was in the cab, looking forward to the journey.
Things seemed normal as we went through the narrow roads of log hut road, but I had no idea what I was heading to.
100kmph!
To my surprise, the moment we left behind the inner roads, the driver started driving extremely rash at 100kmph on roads where the limit is of 50kmph. The way he was taking the sharp turns almost got us close to fatal accidents thrice. Not to forget, he was on his mobile throughout.
The driver did the same in all the 14 tunnels which is a no-overtaking zone with a speed limit of 40kmph. But this guy kept pushing the accelerator and overtaking vehicles. Furthermore, he was constantly texting and talking on his mobile. AND THEN, I WAS THREATENED AT A SECLUDED SPOT.
Threat!
I had politely asked the driver to slow down thrice, but he did not. At some point, we again nearly had an accident so I again asked the driver to slow down but to my surprise, he did something unusual.
The driver, Mangal Singh, stopped the car at a secluded patch, and threatened to leave me on the highway. He asked me to shut up and said that he will not drive below 90kmph!
My mind had gone numb and all I could think was, ” I should safely reach home.” The driver drove the same way throughout and being a women, I could not utter a word as I felt unsafe.
Whose Fault Is It?
Is this the fault of the agency owner, Akal Takht taxi service, or the driver Mangal Singh who had no sense of driving or passenger safety?
Whatever it was, I still get haunted by the angry look of the driver, who threatened me at a secluded spot. My purpose of sharing my experience is to caution women and think before travelling with this agency, and never with this driver!
