Asmi Shah (above) threatened to file a complaint, but the auto driver was undaunted.

When Asmi Shah asked the auto driver to stop so she could pick up her mother, he asked if she was as fat as her, then told her to get off as she was slowing down his auto.

An auto driver forced a travel agent to get off half-way to her Juhu office telling her that she was slowing down his auto as she was 'too fat'.

The woman immediately took out her phone and took a picture of his number plate as he drove off. She has also complained to the police, determined to track him down.

Last week, 30-year-old Asmi Shah, a resident of Santacruz, boarded an auto from near her building and was on her way to her office to attend a meeting. "He started the auto and after we had travelled a few metres, he asked me to sit in the middle of the seat instead of the corner. I obliged. Since I had to pick up my mother on the way, I asked him to stop at a point. He then asked me if the person who I was picking up was as fat as me. I was shocked and told him not to be so rude and mind his language. He then told me that "main mote logon ko apne auto mein nahi bithata (I don't let fat people sit in my auto) I was stunned by his behaviour."

Shah refused to get off the auto as she was getting late for her meeting. The auto driver then stopped and told her to get down. "I threatened to report him to the police to which he told me to do whatever I want. I got down and tried to take his picture but he drove away. However, I managed to take a photo of his number plate," said Asmi.

The young travel agent told Mirror that she would not rest till she teaches the auto driver a lesson. She has complained both to the local as well as the traffic police. "I have also tweeted about the incident to the Mumbai Police's Twitter handle. In response they asked me to contact the traffic police so that the errant auto driver can be traced and fined for his behaviour. They then informed me that the traffic police could only fine him for not plying a passenger, but if I go to the local police they could at least book him under some offence," said Shah.

Asmi then went to the Santacruz police station narrated the incident to an office on duty. Though he promised to look into it, she is yet to get a response from their end.

Additional CP (traffic) Sunil Paraskar told Mirror, "No auto driver or cabbie has any right to refuse passengers based on their personal appearance. We are looking into it and action will be taken against the errant auto driver."

"It's not that I want to see him punished but this discrimination has to stop. Today he said no to me as I was fat. Tomorrow it could be someone else. He can't go on insulting people like this. I just want to teach him a lesson," said Asmi.

