Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Disabled man petitions collector alleging bias in MBBS admission

TNN | Jan 8, 2020, 04.15 AM IST

Madurai: After more than two years of ongoing court battle over being denied an opportunity to write the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) exam, a differently-abled man has now petitioned the district collector Dr T G Vinay seeking his help.

Arunkumar G, 27, from Villapuram wrote the NEET exam in 2018 and secured above the cut-off mark for the differently-abled persons quota. However, he was not given a chance in counselling that year despite being declared fit and issued a certificate of disability by the regional medical board in Chennai. Arunkumar had lost three of his fingers, including his thumb, after being injured during an accident in 2008. After his complaint to the director of medical education (DME) did not receive any reply, the 27-year-old took the matter to court. “As it was argued that my fitness certificate was only valid for 2018, the court ordered me to appear before a panel of doctors from the regional medical board, Chennai again in 2019. They declared me fit. However, I was not called for counselling that year also. I felt betrayed and filed for contempt of court,” said Arunkumar.

During the hearing of the case, the defendant’s advocates argued that since the differently-abled man had written the NEET exam only in 2018, he cannot be called for counselling in 2019 just on the basis of the fitness certificate.

On Monday, he petitioned the district collector alleging wrongful discrimination against differently-abled persons on the basis of physical appearance when it comes to providing jobs and education of their choice and driving licence, which is basic for commuting. “It is very common for such discrimination to happen. Despite availability of quotas, rarely do people from our community get a job that is equal to their educational qualification and paid on a par with those without disability,” said S Raja, district secretary, differently-abled welfare association.

Arunkumar has a diploma in medical laboratory technology from Madurai Medical College. “I’m able to handle equipment and I cleared both theory and practical exams during my course. However, wherever I go, I’m being denied jobs just because of my missing fingers.”

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