Paralympian cyclist Aditya Mehta had to undergo humiliation for the third time in two months at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. He had undergone similar ordeal two months ago.
Mehta, who is a silver medallist at the Asian Para-Cycling Championship in 2013, was forced to remove his prosthetics by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials at the airport before he was going to board a flight from Bengaluru to Hyderabad.
Worse than this, Mehta was also forced to undergo strip-search by the officials.
“Yet again I was forced to remove my prosthetic leg at KIA, Bangalore. Possibly an generous Dussehera gift from CISF – Central Industrial Security Force,” the Paralympian wrote in his Facebook post.
“This morning when I had to board a flight from Bangalore at 5:30 am to Hyderabad, the CISF officials made me undo and redo my prosthesis during the security check. I have been suffering with an injury since the past 20 days with my stump (operated limb) and the security check officials only had to say “It is your problem!” in this regards,” he added further.
When he complained to the officials about the manner he was being treated, the latter dismissed his plea stating it was his problem.
On August 30, Mehta had been humiliated at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. the security officials had told the athlete that he would not be allowed to board the flight before removing the prosthetic limbs.
Barely four days before the incident in Delhi, he had been almost strip-searched at Chandigarh airport before boarding a flight to Bengaluru.
This incident comes at a time when Indian Paralympians returned home with four medals at the recently concluded Rio Paralympics. The Indian contingent won two golds, a silver and a bronze medal at the quadrennial sporting event.
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