Medal winning Indian para-athlete Suvarna Raj on Sunday alleged that she was forced to sleep on the floor of a train after she was denied a lower berth.
According to NDTV, Raj, a wheelchair-bound athlete was allotted an upper berth in the Nagpur-Nizamuddin Garib Rath Express and, in spite of her repeated requests, she was denied a lower berth.
She claimed that while booking the ticket, she had told the railway officials that she was disabled. She was allotted a berth in coach number GD-2, reserved for disabled passengers. However, once she arrived on the train, she noticed that it was an upper berth. So, she requested her fellow passengers to exchange their seat with her, buy they turned her down.
“I want to meet Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu and tell him about the problems we have to face while traveling in trains. Disabled people suffer a lot in trains,” Raj told ANI.
While taking note of the seriousness of the issue, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu ordered an inquiry into the matter. However, Raj insists that she wanted a ‘permanent change.’
The Hindu reports that Raj claimed she was denied basic human rights and she wants Suresh Prabhu to travel with her once to see what issues are faced by disabled people.
(Feature image source: YouTube screengrab)