October 20th 2023.
Virali Modi, a wheelchair-bound disability rights activist, experienced a harrowing ordeal on her wedding day. She had to be carried up two flights of stairs to the second-floor office of a marriage registrar in Mumbai, as the building had no lift and the officials refused to come down.
Virali took to X to express her anguish: "How is this fair? What happened to the Accessible India campaign? Just because I'm a wheelchair user, do I not have the right to get married to someone I love? What if someone had slipped and what if I had fallen on my wedding day? Who is responsible?"
The post got a lot of attention, prompting Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to intervene. He tweeted: "First of all many congratulations on the new beginnings and wishing you both a very happy and a beautiful married life! Also I really am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. I have personally taken cognisance and will take corrective and appropriate action."
Virali was also quick to reply to a Twitter user who had commented, "that is a test for your husband if he can carry you for rest of your life he has passed." She stated: "My husband is not my caretaker. I was independent before him and I am independent after him. He shouldn't have to carry me because my government should already be accommodating to my needs. Change this kind of mentality."
Dr. Suni Mathew, a disability rights advocate, believes that respecting the rights of persons with disabilities is key to treating them alike. "It is important to understand that persons with disabilities have the same rights as any other human being. We must make sure that no barriers exist to stop them from participating in the mainstream of society," he said on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
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