New Delhi: Anita Ghai, 57, didn't expect to face apathy merely hours after delivering a lecture on the rights of the disabled. The wheelchair-bound professor at Ambedkar University, who is also a leading disabled rights activist, was allegedly made to "crawl" to the passenger coach after landing at IGI Airport as the airline did not arrange a wheelchair for "security reasons".
Air India has denied the allegation, saying the wheelchair was provided at the aircraft's doorstep. Ghai, however, said she was made to slide from her seat to the stairs and then crawl for 15-18 meters on the tarmac, from the aircraft to the shuttle that ferries passengers.
She has demanded an unconditional apology from the airline and immediate action against the officials.
Ghai claimed the airlines didn't arrange for a wheelchair despite repeated requests. She said: "I am shocked that Air India has, in the media, denied the unavailability of wheelchair."
Ghai was in Dehradun to deliver a lecture on women and children's disability at the IAS Academy. Speaking to TOI, Ghai said: "I was returning from Dehradun. There, I was provided a box to pack my motorised wheelchair and given another wheelchair by the airline to help me board the flight."
01/02/16 Manash Pratim Gohain/Times of India
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
Air India has denied the allegation, saying the wheelchair was provided at the aircraft's doorstep. Ghai, however, said she was made to slide from her seat to the stairs and then crawl for 15-18 meters on the tarmac, from the aircraft to the shuttle that ferries passengers.
She has demanded an unconditional apology from the airline and immediate action against the officials.
Ghai claimed the airlines didn't arrange for a wheelchair despite repeated requests. She said: "I am shocked that Air India has, in the media, denied the unavailability of wheelchair."
Ghai was in Dehradun to deliver a lecture on women and children's disability at the IAS Academy. Speaking to TOI, Ghai said: "I was returning from Dehradun. There, I was provided a box to pack my motorised wheelchair and given another wheelchair by the airline to help me board the flight."
01/02/16 Manash Pratim Gohain/Times of India
