The Hindu : New Delhi News : He pressed for disabled-friendly lab at IIT, got the sack

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Saturday, Mar 19, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

He pressed for disabled-friendly lab at IIT, got the sack

By Our Staff Reporter

Disability rights activist Javed Abidi (left) along with Prof. Daksh Lohiya and Dr. S.K. Jain addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday. Photo: R.V. Moorthy

NEW DELHI, MARCH 18. For well over a decade the Indian Institute of Technology here in Delhi praised the work of S.K. Jain, who worked as a research scientist with the Institute. However, suddenly, Dr. Jain -- who is differently-abled -- lost favour in 1999 and the University Grants Commission sought to dismiss him. Even after the Delhi High Court decided in favour of Dr. Jain, he has not been able to get back to work.

"They have locked up my office door and taken my computer. All the data was on that machine. They are trying to harass me. I don't know why they are doing this," says Dr. Jain, who contracted polio as an infant that has left him physically challenged. An alumnus of IIT himself, Dr. Jain had been working in the field of environment.

But that's not all. According to the president of the UGC Research Scientists Association, Daksh Lohiya, the root of the problem is a letter that Dr. Jain had forwarded to IIT in 1999. "He had written to the IIT administration in 1999 that the laboratory where he worked was no disabled-friendly. It was located on the first floor and it was difficult for him to climb all the way up to the laboratory. He asked that the University should comply with the Disability Act. And when they did not, he filed a case against him. But instead of complying they have treated him like this," alleged Dr. Lohiya at a press conference here today.

A few months later, UGC conducted a review where Dr. Jain's work was also examined. "In the review committee, one of members from IIT said that Dr. Jain appears to be too depressed to do meaningful work. And on the basis of that one sentence, they took the decision to dismiss him," said Dr. Lohiya. He further argued: "After 14 years they are saying that they do not require his services. Have they come to this conclusion after so many years? And this is after the IIT annual publications have repeatedly described the work done by Dr. Jain as exemplary and exceptional."

The National Centre for Promotion of Employment For Disabled People today declared that unless Dr. Jain was allowed to resume work, steps would be taken to fight this "blatant discrimination". "We will give IIT a week. If they do not respond, then we will fight this headlong. We will sit on dharna, or gherao, whatever it takes to fight this. We will not take this incidence of discrimination lying down," said the executive director of NCPEDP, Javed Abidi.

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