In a strong appeal highlighting the continuing challenges faced by persons with disabilities in India’s aviation sector, noted industrialist and accessibility advocate Ms Sminu Jindal has urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation and IndiGo Airlines to take urgent corrective action after her custom-built wheelchair was severely damaged on a Goa–Delhi flight.
Ms Jindal, Chairperson of the Svayam Foundation and Managing Director of Jindal SAW Ltd, had travelled to Goa to participate in Purple Fest 2025, a national festival celebrating inclusion, independence and dignity for persons with disabilities. Upon returning to Delhi on IndiGo Flight 6E 6264 on 10 October 2025, she discovered that her specially engineered wheelchair—custom-made for her spinal-cord injury—had been returned completely bent and unusable.
“A wheelchair is not just equipment—it is our mobility, our independence, our dignity. Once its frame is bent, it can never be repaired,” Ms Jindal wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
A Systemic Problem
This incident, Ms Jindal emphasized, is not an isolated case but part of a recurring pattern of neglect and insensitivity faced by thousands of disabled passengers across Indian airports. Despite clear DGCA guidelines mandating care and safe handling of assistive devices, wheelchair damage remains common due to poor baggage practices and lack of staff training.
“If wheelchairs must go into the aircraft belly, airlines must create a dedicated protected section and ensure staff are properly trained and sensitized,” she added.
Her post has since sparked wide discussion on social media, with many disability-rights groups echoing her demand for systemic reform and mandatory accountability mechanisms for airlines mishandling assistive devices.
Appeal to the Authorities
Tagging Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naik, DGCA India, and the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Ms Jindal called for immediate ministerial intervention. She urged policymakers to enforce stricter safety norms, create designated storage areas for mobility aids inside cargo bays, and institute financial and operational penalties for violations.
“Safety of assistive devices is mandatory. Somebody’s life and life’s earnings depend on it,” she noted.
Growing Call for Accessibility in Indian Aviation
India’s air-travel infrastructure has seen notable growth in recent years, but accessibility remains a lagging frontier. Disability advocates have repeatedly highlighted issues ranging from inadequate ramps and missing tactile pathways to lack of trained ground staff and insensitive airline procedures.
Ms Jindal’s latest experience has reignited public debate on the need for a comprehensive Accessibility Code for Air Travel, aligning with India’s Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) and international commitments under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The Way Forward
Experts and activists suggest a multi-pronged solution—training ground and cabin crews, mandating dedicated compartments for wheelchairs, establishing grievance redressal channels under DGCA oversight, and introducing insurance-based compensation models for damaged assistive devices.
For many, Ms Jindal’s statement is not merely about one broken wheelchair—it symbolizes the urgent need to restore dignity, mobility, and equality in Indian aviation.
