Disabled man denied flying permission

Chennai: A disabled person in Chennai was denied admission into an aircraft by Air Sahara authorities.
Rajeev Rajan is someone who fights for the rights of the disabled worldwide but Air Sahara denied him a boarding pass to fly from Chennai to Delhi.
He suffers from cerebral palsy but does not require an escort for travel.
Rajan says the airline authorities insisted on an escort and a fitness to fly certificate and called the police to evict him.
His repeated pleas that he is a frequent flier and ought to be treated with dignity went unheard.
When Rajeev contacted another airline, Spice Jet, they too refused him a ticket.
''This is a gross violation of a person's basic human rights. He had a valid ticket and was on time. This is an apartheid of a different kind,'' said Rajul Padmanabhan, director, Vidya Sagar.
Doctors say cerebral palsey patients ought to be allowed to fly independently. Only those in extreme condition and who travel for treatment will require a doctor's certificate and an escort.
This is the second such incident in the recent past. Last year an autistic child was denied admission into an Air Deccan flight in Bangalore.
18/06/07 Sam Daniel/NDTV.com

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Categories: Jet Lite Jun 2007, SpiceJet Jun 2007