Upset over the lackadaisical attitude of the State Government, as many as seven blind persons, including a woman, who were ill-treated and forcibly driven out of the building of the Odisha Association for the Blind here on January 17, sought intervention of the President of India for justice.
In a letter to the President on May 2, the petitioners alleged that their basic human rights were violated and urged him to direct the State administration to inquire into the matter and ensure justice to them.
“Since January 17 last, we have been roaming without a shelter and staying under the open sky. The office bearers of the Odisha Association for the Blind forcibly drove us away from the premises of the association building as we protested an undemocratic election of the association bearers. We have every right to take shelter at the association building,” said Bhagaban Pati, a victim.
Pati said, “We registered a complaint on the issue at the Kharvela Nagar police station on January 18, the very next day the incident occurred and met the Commissioner of Police seeking justice. Though the Commissioner asked the DCP to ensure our stay at the association building, it is yet to happen.”
Prakash Kumar Mohapatra, another victim, alleged, “We too submitted a petition at the Odisha High Court, which, considering the genuineness of the case, directed the Khordha Collector to inquire into the matter and submit a report by February 15. But the administration is yet to comply with the court order.”
Citing the negligence of the State administration in failing to provide justice to the blind persons, Odisha Disabled People’s Network State coordinator Sannyas Kumar Behera alleged that though the Vice President’s Secretariat on May 5 last had ordered the State Chief Secretary to take appropriate action on the issue, nothing tangible happened yet.