MORE THAN 500 DISABLED ACTIVISTS COURT ARREST MEMORANDUM SUBMITTED TO PRIME MINISTR'S ENVOY, SHRI VIJAY GOEL DETAILED MEETING TO TAKE PLACE AT 7:30 P.M. TONIGHT Hundreds of disabled people, their parents & families and disability sector NGOs, etc. assembled outside the Safdarjung Tomb at 11:00 a.m. today and took part in the DRG Solidarity Rally. The rally was called by the Disabled Rights Group (DRG) to showcase the unity of the disability sector and its allies and its friends. DRG has been pressing the Government for a long time to pay serious attention to the needs & the aspirations of people with disability, who obviously are as much citizens of this country as anyone else. After a few rather emotional speeches by the senior leadership of the disability sector, the Rally expressed its intent of moving towards the Prime Minister's Residence in order to be able to hand him over a Memorandum. The Police was present in large numbers. DRG had already assured them that the Rally would remain entirely peaceful and if stopped by the Police from moving any further, the Rallyists would Court Arrest. The Rally had moved barely a few yards from its place of assembly, when it was stopped by the Police. At this point, all the 524 disabled people, who had assembled for today's Solidarity Rally, peacefully courted arrest. In the meantime, we received a message from the Prime Minister's Residence that Hon'ble Prime Minister has deputed Shri Vijay Goel (MOS in the PMO) to meet the DRG delegation & receive the Memorandum from them. The 8 member DRG delegation consisting of Shri Javed Abidi, Convenor of DRG; Gen. Ian Cardozo of Spastics Society of Northern India; Rev. Shamsher Singh Bahadur of Leprosy Mission; Shri Jawahar Kaul of All India Confederation of the Blind; Smt. Asha Mehra of Swavalamban; Shri Arun C. Rao of Delhi Deaf Friendship Club; Shri Rajashekhar of Jagrit Viklang Manch amd Ms. Rama Chari of DRG reached the Prime Minister's Residence at about 12:20 p.m. and met with Shri Vijay Goel. After some preliminary discussions, it was proposed by Shri Vijay Goel that a longer/detailed discussion takes place so that Government can fully understand & appreciate the stand of DRG and the logic/reasoning behind its 12 core demands. It was agreed that the DRG delegation would meet Shri Vijay Goel again (at his residence, No. 5 Mahadev Road) at 7:30 p.m. this evening. Convenor DRG, Shri Javed Abidi politely explained to Shri Vijay Goel that the Government should not take it as a threat or in any negative manner whatsoever but his resolve to sit on a Fast Unto Death cannot be changed/withdrawn till the Government makes its stand clear on the 12 core demands of DRG.
Editor's note: Subsequently Shri Vijay Goel had a very fruitful meeting with the representatives of DRG at his residence and expressed the Govt.'s willingness to cooperate with the DRG. The hunger strike has been called off for the time being.