Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Renowned para athlete Suvarna Raj, a known representative of our country in international events has accused the crew of IndiGo airline of mistreating her during a recent flight from New Delhi to Chennai. Suvarna had booked seat 39D (Aisle) on the Chennai bound flight. Expressed frustration as her repeated appeals for a personal wheelchair at the aircraft door were ignored by the airline staff.
During an interview with ANI on Saturday Suvarna expressed her disappointment saying, "These incidents involving airlines have happened times. Whenever I board a flight I always request the crew for a wheelchair at the aircraft door.. Despite making this request many times before it often goes unanswered. The crew would assure me that I will receive my wheelchair at the aircraft door. Unfortunately it never happens except for one available inside the cabin."
Sharing her dissatisfaction with how she was treated and how indifferent the crew seemed towards her needs Suvarna added, "I repeatedly informed them about my requirement for a wheelchair, at the aircraft door but it seemed like my requests were not heard. Yesterday three managers informed me about a policy to provide wheelchairs at the aircraft door."
"If there is a policy in place why wasn't I given one?" Suvarna expressed her concerns to the airport authorities emphasizing the importance of treating abled individuals with sensitivity. She shared an incident where a security staff member repeatedly asked her friend in a wheelchair to stand during a security check demonstrating a lack of understanding and empathy.
Furthermore Suvarna reported that her personal wheelchair, which is valued at Rs 3 lakh was damaged by the airline crew. She firmly believes that IndiGo should compensate for the damage and restore her wheelchair to its condition. Urging for government intervention Suvarna questioned why there are repeated instances where policies intended to assist passengers with disabilities are not followed.
Suvarna is a para athlete who has earned two medals in the 2014 Asian Para Games held in Korea and secured two medals at the Thailand Para Table Tennis Open, in 2013.
—Input from Agencies
