'No matter how many times…': Asian Para medallist accuses IndiGo of inhumane treatment

Asian Para medallist Suvarna Raj, who has represented her country in international competitions and won medals at prestigious events such as the 2014 Asian Para Games in Korea and the Thailand Para Table Tennis Open in 2013, accused the IndiGo staff of mistreatment.

Suvarna claimed that she faced mistreatment from the IndiGo crew during her journey from New Delhi to Chennai. She had reserved seat number 39D (Aisle) on the Chennai-bound flight, which took place on Friday.

The controversy arose when Suvarna requested a personal wheelchair at the aircraft door for her flight from New Delhi to Chennai. Despite her repeated requests, the crew failed to provide the assistance she needed. Suvarna recounted her experience, expressing frustration over the crew's apparent indifference to her needs. She highlighted that this was not an isolated incident but part of a recurring pattern of neglect by the airline towards passengers with disabilities.

"The airlines have been courting infamy with such incidents time and time again. Whenever I board a flight, I make it a point to request the crew members for a personal wheelchair at the aircraft door. I did it a thousand times before. However, on numerous occasions, I did not get a wheelchair at the aircraft door. Why? Whenever I asked for my wheelchair at the aircraft door, the crew would say, 'Yes ma'am'. However, there was no wheelchair except the one in the cabin," Suvarna told ANI.

The situation escalated when Suvarna's personal wheelchair, which she valued at Rs 3 lakh, was damaged by the airline crew. She demanded that IndiGo take responsibility for the damage and restore her wheelchair to its original condition. Suvarna's plight underscores the broader issue of insensitivity and lack of proper facilities for specially-abled individuals, calling for more empathetic and responsive actions from service providers.

"I told them 10 times that I wanted my personal wheelchair at the aircraft door, but no matter how many times I asked them, they seemed to turn a deaf ear. Yesterday, the three managers came and told me that there is a policy of providing wheelchairs at the aircraft door. Then why wasn't I provided with one?" she expressed dissatisfaction with the 'attitude' and indifference displayed by the crew members.

"I have raised concern and lodged a complaint with the airport authorities. The day before yesterday, a security staffer asked my friend, who also happens to be wheelchair-bound, to rise from the chair for a check. She was asked to stand not just once but thrice. My friend said she couldn't but the crew member kept asking her to stand up saying, 'You can stand up.' Where has the sensitivity of people gone? We are gunning for smart cities when what we need are smart and sensitive minds. I wished to come out in the media against this mistreatment. Please be a little more sympathetic to the problems of specially-abled people," Raj said.

She alleged that the personal wheelchair, valued at Rs 3 lakh, was damaged by the airline crew.
As of the date of the report, there was no mention of a response from IndiGo regarding the allegations made by Suvarna Raj. 

"My wheelchair was damaged. It cost me Rs 3 lakh. Indigo should pay for the damage to my wheelchair and I want it to be restored to its old state. If the airlines have a policy to provide wheelchairs to differently-abled patients, why do they break protocol time and time again? The government should take strict action and check why such incidents are happening so often," Suvarna said.

In the 2014 Asian Para Games in Korea, Suvarna secured two medals, and she also achieved success with two medals at the Thailand Para Table Tennis Open in 2013.

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