And as humans, we are supposed to But recently, an incident from Delhi airport has come to light where a wheelchair-bound woman was subjected to harassment by CISF staff. Virali Modi, a US resident suffered a spinal cord injury back in 2006 and she has been wheelchair-bound ever since.
A motivational speaker and disability rights activist, Virali was traveling to Mumbai from Delhi airport when she was forced by a female CISF officer to stand up despite the fact that she was in a wheelchair during the security check.
In her complaint to the concerned authorities, Virali mentioned that she was asked to submit her personal wheelchair at the baggage counter as per the norms and was assigned a porter to help her reach the flight and carry out other security procedures.
At the security check, Virali was asked if she could stand up to which she denied. But the female She said not to ‘do drama’ after Viral and the porterÂ
“I told them repeatedly that I had been paralyzed for 13 years and there was no way I could walk. I told her that if she could make me stand up, then she could go for it,” Virali told News18.
The female officer also spoke ill about her to her colleagues, Virali claimed. “She kept saying that I was doing ‘drama’ and that I could easily stand but wasn’t willing to. I was almost in tears at this point. When I confronted her about it, she began yelling at me and told me that she was speaking about someone else,” she added.
After the tiff, a senior CISF officer was finally allowed to board the flight. She has also filed a complaint with the CISF headquarters.
Have a look at the screenshots of the complaint filed by Virali:
Virali also recalled another such incident that she had faced a few years back at Mumbai airport. She had been forced to stand up for the security check back then. When she could not, a female CISF officer pulled at her so hard that she had to be hospitalized.
“No airport in India has special provisions for people with disabilities. You can’t treat everyone the same way. People might have severe disabilities and they deserve to be treated with sensitivity. Look at international airports, there you don’t even have to shift from your personal wheelchairs. It’s much more convenient,” Virali said.
As humans, it is our responsibility to treat fellow human beings with concern and respect. Harassing disabled citizens is nothing but an act of utter shame and disgrace to humanity!