A group of visually challenged persons in the city are proving that physical disabilities are no barrier when it comes to putting up a fight for their rights. For the eighth consecutive day, more than 300 members of the College Students and Graduates Association for the Blind (CSGAB) courted arrest by staging a road roko in the city. Their only demand – a public place where they can stage an indefinite fast over their demands.
So far the police have resorted to several “intimidating tactics” to disperse them, including leaving them in far off places without telling them where they were – once at Kovalam Beach and once at Madurantakam. “They told us we were at the Marina beach,” said Velmurugan, general secretary of the organisation. “We only wanted a secure place where nine of our members can stage their indefinite fast. We do not wish to stage the road roko and create trouble for public. But we are forced to do it as the police are denying us even the basic right to protest,” said R Raja, one of the protesters.
Four meetings with Social Welfare Minister B Valarmathi proved futile as the protesters say that the officials were only keen on stopping the protests rather than lending an earnest ear to their demands. “We started our protest in front Government Guest House at Chepauk without causing any trouble for the public. But the police forcefully removed us from the spot forcing us to stage a road roko,” said N Murthy, one of the protestors.
On Monday, representatives of the visually challenged persons held a meeting with Valarmathi. “The minister gave us mere oral promises. As she refused to give it as a form of statement to press, we have decided to continue our protest,” said a representative of CSGAB.
All the protesters are postgraduates and doctorate-holders who say that they still have to do menial jobs to earn a livelihood despite their educational qualifications. Their main demand is recruitment of visually challenged persons to teaching jobs and relaxation of the eligibility criteria for teaching recruitment in government and government-aided institutions.