Mumbai:
Preeti Rathi, a 23-year-old resident of Delhi had no idea of what awaited her when she reached Mumbai. Minutes after she alighted from her train at the Bandra Terminus, she was attacked by an alleged stalker, who threw acid on her. Her face was now completely disfigured and she lost vision in one eye. Suffering in pain, she is now voicing her pain through handwritten notes. Preeti's Uncle, Vinod Kumar, "She had prepared for this job with a lot of hard work and she wanted to work with the Army."
Well-known Plastic Surgeon Dr. Ashok Gupta, who has dealt with acid attack cases throughout his career, says, "In our country, despite having the most number of acid attack cases, there is no social protection, rehabilitation or medical treatment facilities for them."
What has led to a growing number of acid attacks on women is that the law to protect acid attack victims was weak until it was amended recently. What is worse is victims if only disfigured are not even acknowledged as physically disabled. This means that they lose out on jobs etc. reserved for the disabled which otherwise could have brought them some relief.
Professor Pratibha Nathani states, "The law states the person should be 40% or more handicapped to be eligible for a reservation. But they do not consider acid attack victims as handicaps."
However even laws to ensure inclusion and accessibility to the differently abled are often flouted by both government and private establishments.
The author of the book 'One Little Finger' Malini Chib, who has Cerebral Palsy shows us the injuries she received after she fell off an escalator at the Westside retail outlet in south Mumbai recently. The accident took place after she was forced to take an escalator in the absence of ramps and elevators. The law says that the government should ensure that private entities that offer facilities and services which are open or provided to the public, take into account all aspects of accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Westside has now promised to act. In a statement the company said "The Westside store at Kala Ghoda is housed in a heritage building. We will consult with our advisors on how we can accommodate the right facilities for this objective. Westside is committed and sympathetic to the cause."
However, Chairperson of Able Disable All People Together (ADAPT) Dr. Mithu Alur feels there will be no change until the concept of punitive action comes in. She says, "No building should get sanctions until they have checked out that there are ramps, there's accessibility to all people who are the citizens of the country."
But that is easier said than done, especially in a country where discrimination is routine.