Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief MP Lodha on Saturday felicitated a Uber driver in Mumbai for informing on one of his passengers to the police station, who was discussing anti-CAA protests with his friend on a phone call.

Lodha felicitated the driver with an "alert citizen award."

"Today I felicitated Uber driver Rohit Gaur for informing police about a passenger who was plotting an anti-national protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and handing him over to the police. I called Rohit and felicitated him with the 'Alert Citizen Award' on behalf of the people of Mumbai," Lodha tweeted.

The incident happened on the night of February 5 at around 10:30-10:45 PM, when a passenger named Bappadittya Sarkar, a poet by profession, was taking an Uber ride home from Juhu to Kurla in Mumbai, WhatsApp messages shared by Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Kavita Krishnan revealed.

After he got into the cab, he called a friend of his to discuss matters related to the anti-CAA protests which are taking place in various parts of the country. However, midway into the cab ride, the Uber driver stopped the car and asked if he could use a nearby ATM in the vicinity. Surprisingly, he came back with two policemen.

The Uber driver allegedly told the policemen that the passenger was a 'communist', adding that he should be arrested as he was talking about "burning the country" and creating a "Shaheen Bagh" like situation in Mumbai.

When the poet asked the cab driver about why he was taken to a police station on such a trivial matter, to which he responded by saying, "You want to burn the country and want me not to react? I could have taken you to some other place....you should be thankful I brought you to the police station."

Then Bappadittya was taken into the police station, where he was questioned about his ideology, the books he read, and other details like his father's salary. Then the police proceeded to note down the Uber Driver and Bappadittya's statement. 

Bappadiya then called his friend, who came at around 1 AM the following night, and he was released shortly after by the police. He was cautioned by the police to not carry his 'Dafli' (percussion instrument) with him or wear a 'red scarf' as the 'atmosphere in the country is hostile.'

Baddatiya, in his WhatsApp messages, said that he came to Mumbai to recite poems at Kala Ghoda, a creative space in South Mumbai.

Describing his experience, he said, "I felt unsettled, some sense of fear set in and stayed throughout the night."