What’s the story?
Para-athlete Suvarna Raj was forced to sleep on the floor of a train from Nagpur to Delhi after ignorant passengers refused to exchange their seats with the table tennis player.
She had requested a lower berth in the train as her physical disabilities did not allow her to access the top berth. Despite this however, she was granted the top berth and Raj could not utilise her allotted berth.
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In case you didn’t know…
Raj has won medals for India in table tennis competitions and is a wheelchair-bound athlete competing against fellow para-athletes. Her skill in the sport has brought India glory at the highest level and she continues to play a major part in the upliftment of physically and mentally challenged aspiring athletes in the country. Suvarna was crippled with polio at the age of two but her grit and determination egged her on as she achieved great success in the sport of table tennis.
Raj also recently contested civic polls unsuccessfully in Delhi as a candidate from Badarpur.
The heart of the matter
The incident is shameful and disgusting and going by the comments of Railways executives, nobody is willing to take responsibility. The official said, “We have a limited number of seats available and we cannot accommodate everyone. Moreover, it is also the responsibility of passengers to show sympathy and exchange seats with physically-challenged fellow passengers.”
Suvarna herself claimed that the train had physically fit passengers as well, contradicting the words of railway officials who claimed that the entire coach had only disabled passengers.
Apart from Suvarna, her 6-year-old son, friend and friend’s 3-year-old son also had to sleep on the floor with her due to paucity of space and unwillingness of passengers to adjust.
What’s next?
This is not the first time that talented Indian athletes are subject to such inhumane treatment, and the palming off of responsibility from officials further highlights the appalling condition of Indian sport.
These athletes are forced to endure humiliation from their own people and incidents such as these prove yet again, just how much we as citizens need to learn.
Author’s take
It remains to be seen whether an enquiry into the incident will take place but it is a big blow to the confidence of para-athletes in India who even today, struggle to gain acclaim from their own people. Hopefully this will serve as a lesson for the Indian Railways and their seat allocation process and instill a feeling of understanding in passengers travelling with physically-challenged individuals.
