Visually-impaired protest in Shimla for jobs, warn of mass suicide if demand not met

Shimla, Dec 3 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh Blind Persons Association on Wednesday marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities as a "black day" with a protest here against the government over vacant posts meant for them.

The protesters threatened to set them ablaze outside the official residence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu if the government does not act on their demands by December 10.

Several visually impaired people, who have been sitting on the protest near the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat here, staged a protest and tried to block the Sanjauli-Old Bus Stand road.

During the protest, they also had a minor scuffle with the police when they tried to remove the protesters from the site.

A heated argument broke out between protesters and Shimla (Urban) Sub Divisional Magistrate Oshin Sharma, who tried to placate the agitators.

When protestors raised anti-CM slogans, the SDM said that "yeh bekar ke nare hum CM sahib ke khilaf hum nahin sunayenge (we will not hear slogans against the CM)." Rajesh Thakur, one of the protesters, told reporters, "Thousands of posts are still vacant, but the government is not recruiting us. We want to ask the chief minister, are those posts reserved for his relatives? Why isn't he meeting with us? "The state government is celebrating its three years in power, but in the last three years, the government has not even spared a few minutes for us for a meeting. The reality is that the chief minister hates people with disabilities," Thakur reiterated.

He also alleged that the government disbanded the SAHARA scheme, as well as the UDID bus pass service meant for them.

Thakur said he will set himself on fire if the outfit's demands are not met and announced a 'gherao' of the chief minister's residence on December 10. PTI COR BPL VN VN