NEW DELHI: "Either give us jobs or let us die. There’s no use in labeling us divyang if you can’t provide employment opportunities." This was a message conveyed loud and clear by 25-year-old Ramesh Kumar, a student from Patna who is among the disabled protesters camping at the Mandi House intersection in central Delhi over the last few days.
Diagnosed with polio at the age of four, the 25-year-old has been leading the chorus of protest ringing out from around 100 disabled people for the last three days. Removed from the list of candidates who cleared the Group D test of the Railways, the protesters are determined to soldier on till they are assured of employment.
“We took the Group D test last October. In March, we were informed that we had secured pass marks. We were also told to keep all necessary documents ready for selection. However, that was before we suddenly received word that our names have been removed from the list of those selected. This is a big scam and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is behind it. What is the use of labeling us Divyang if you can’t take care of us?” said Kumar, adding he secured 60 marks in the Group D test.
With the protesters camped on the road over the last three days, traffic one section of the roundabout in the central Delhi area has been hit. Eleven of the protesters have been on a hunger strike since November 26 to get themselves heard. The police have set up barricades around the area of protest. A mini-ambulance has been put on stand-by should any of protester falls sick.
“This is gross injustice. The central government is making our lives more miserable. I won’t leave this place till we are given jobs that we worked so hard for. Many may accuse us of giving trouble to commuters, but what else could we do if the government turns a deaf ear to our demand?” said 24-year-old Senal Singh from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. Senal is on a hunger strike.“I feel bad for these people. They are already disadvantaged in many ways and it’s unfortunate if the government can’t provide them what was promised,” a tea shop owner near the National School of Drama,said.
Cheated by the government, says protester
A protester said the disabled job aspirants were informed that they had cleared the Group D test and were also told to keep all documents ready for selection