Kerala paralympic champion ‘humiliated’ at Cochin airport

Kochi: Even Sachin Tendulkar tweeted how “extra proud” he was of “Team India’s performance at the World Dwarf Games”, but not everyone shared his feelings towards the champion athletes. Certainly, not the Cochin international airport authorities.

Kerala athlete Joby Mathew who was the pride of the 15-member Indian team that bagged 37 medals at the World Dwarf Games held in Canada, with a personal haul of six medals, two of which were gold, was allegedly humiliated by the Cochin international airport security on his triumphant homecoming.

The 41-year-old athlete who is physically challenged from birth with 60 per cent disabilities, was made to sit inside a taxi he had hired at the airport for nearly 45 minutes after the vehicle was tied to a chain for allegedly violating traffic rules inside the airport premises.

“It was a painful experience,” said Joby Mathew, who added that he was “humiliated” by the authorities for a “humanitarian consideration” shown by the taxi driver.

“There was a lot of rush at the gates and I couldn’t make it through, so the taxi driver agreed to pick me up some 25 metres further down the exit but the authorities treated it as a violation and chained the vehicle with me inside it,” said Joby.

Ernakulam district sports council president Zakir Hussain who was at the airport to receive the athlete said the authorities kept hold of the vehicle, even after being informed of the passenger’s details and his physical condition.

Airport director A.C.K. Nair maintained that they had only followed rules and claimed that the athlete’s vehicle was released soon after they found out who he was.

“The driver had broken the rules by taking a one-way,” said Mr Nair.

Meanwhile, Joby informed that their journey until then had been pleasant as the cabin crew of all the three flights they boarded from Canada to Kochi had announced “how proud they were to have us on board”.