Virali Modi, a wheelchair-bound woman and disability rights activist, has accused that she was asked to stand up by CISF personnel during security check-up at Delhi airport. The incident happened on September 9, when she was travelling to Mumbai from Delhi on a Spicejet flight.
According to details of the incident posted by the disability rights activist and motivational speaker on social media, when she reached security at the airport yesterday, a woman CISF personnel started forcing her to stand up for security checking. When Virali said that she can’t stand, the woman insisted that she must stand up for the mandatory check-up. To this Virali informed the security personnel that she has travelled the world and nowhere she was asked to stand up.
“YOU HAVE TO STAND UP FOR SECURITY CHECKING! STOP DOING DRAMA!,” – The CISF at Delhi airport said this to me. @jayantsinha @CISFHQrs @DelhiAirport @debolin_sen @BookLuster @guptasonali PLEASE RT – THIS TREATMENT TOWARDS THE DISABLED IS RIDICULOUS pic.twitter.com/WGYFULblUm
— Virali Modi (@Virali01) September 9, 2019
But the CISF personnel didn’t believe her, and accused that she can obviously stand but doing drama. She told her colleagues the girl is so melodramatic. Virali confronted her for making such allegations, but the woman started yelling at her, saying she will not check her if she does not stand.
Finally, a senior woman CISF member came and did a manual pat-down checking of Virali, and let her proceed for her flight.
I have sent a complaint to @CISFHQrs on their e-mail address after speaking to someone on their number. @jayantsinha pic.twitter.com/NHCEOJCHer
— Virali Modi (@Virali01) September 9, 2019
Later she sent a letter to the CISF headquarters narrating her ordeal. “Is this how the CISF is trained to handle people with disabilities, if so then it’s a shame on our government”, she wrote. She said that the behaviour of CISF woman was absurd, and requested to look into the matter and take corrective steps.
The head of CISF from Delhi called and expressed his regret over the situation and apologized profusely. He has invited me to meet him whenever I’m in Delhi next and has asked to provide soft-skills regarding disability to the CISF. 1.
— Virali Modi (@Virali01) September 9, 2019
Following this incident, the head of CISF in Delhi called Virali Modi, expressed his regret over the incident and apologised profusely. He also invited her to meet him in Delhi and provide soft-skill training on handling on disabled persons to the CISF. Virali said that although it does not solve the situation, this is a stepping stone towards inclusion and sensitivity at airports.
According to CISF, there have been incidents of persons pretending to be wheelchair-bound, that’s why the woman didn’t believe her.
