Disabled woman carried up to marriage registrar's second-floor office as building has no lift
how is this fair, she asks
Mumbai (PTI): A disabled woman who uses a wheelchair has claimed she had to be carried to the second-floor office of a marriage registrar in the city on her wedding day because the building had no lift and the officials refused to come down to complete the formalities.
"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?" asked Virali Modi, who identifies herself as a disability rights activist, in a thread on X on Wednesday.
The post, which was retweeted many times, elicited response from Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who assured her that he would look into the issue.
"I am disabled and I got married at the Registrars Office at Khar Mumbai on 16/10/23. The office was on the 2nd floor WITHOUT a lift. They wouldn't come downstairs for the signatures and I had to be carried up two flights of stairs to get married," Modi said on X.
"I am disheartened that my country's government and citizens cannot accommodate to my disability. My faith in humanity has been destroyed by this ordeal. I am not a piece of luggage that needs to be carried up two floors. I am a human being and my rights matter!" she added on an anguished note.
In response to Virali's tweets, Fadnavis said he was sorry for what she had to face.
"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," he tweeted.
When one X user tweeted that "that is test for your husband if he can carry you for rest of your life he has passed", he got a sharp reply from Virali Modi.
"My husband is not my care taker. 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," she said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
