KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 8 ― A 23-year old expatriate from New Delhi, India says she was repeatedly punched in the face and head multiple times by a taxi driver some two months ago of the city's bustling Petronas Twin Towers, and that no one helped her during the ordeal.

Kavya Kriti, who has been living and working in Kuala Lumpur for the past seven months told local city website Coconuts KL that the incident happened as she and her friends tried to get home.

In an interview with Coconuts KL, Kavya said the problem started when a bunch of taxi drivers quoted an “obscene rate” for her journey and began to insult her when she did not agree.

Upset by the wanton insults and cat calls, she confronted one taxi driver for his “backward views” and the he threatened to hit her.

“That’s when I got my first taste of his fists. And the next one too. And the next, and the next...

“I got punched in the head and face multiple times right in the heart of KL for simply standing up to a bunch of taxi drivers who decided to degrade and debase me after I refused to pay the obscene flat rate they proposed,” Kavya was quoted as saying.

“This turned into a massive altercation and I refused to back off. Instead I fought back with all my might. By this time both of us were raining blows on each other and the other taxi drivers had joined in seeing that I was not running away or stopping,” she said.

A security guard from KLCC, she said who witnessed this altercation did not help, telling her instead that she was to blame because she was not in “decent clothes” and suggested that the group of friends were drunk as “only drunk women raised their voices.”

“During this entire episode my friend was distressed and shouted for help and not a single person intervened.

“This was the main street right in front of the Petronas Twin Towers, swarms of tourists were walking around and tons of security from the buildings were around. Yet, no one interfered.

“The bottom line is, I had a swollen face, bruises on my head and neck. I got hit and I hit back.  The guy attacked me twice, second time because we dared to click pictures of the cab’s number plate to lodge a police complaint,” Kavya was quoted saying.

She then lodged a police report against the taxi driver. According to the article, the taxi driver has since been jailed and fined.

All Women's Action Society (AWAM) assistant programme manager Lee Wei San said that Kavya's case was a reflection of the kind of oppression and discrimination women continue to face daily in Malaysia. 

“Women are still expected to be silent when they face abuse and any reaction that is contrary to this, is considered 'unbecoming' or 'unladylike'.

“Even worse, some believe that women 'ask for it' when they face violence as a result of speaking out against injustice or violence,” Lee told Coconuts KL.

Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) executive director Ivy Josiah urged tourists and Malaysians to either take taxis from trusted services like MyTeksi or Uber where journeys could be tracked and fares are regulated.