4 days ago
New report highlights systemic exclusion of persons with disabilities in India's policing system
BENGALURU: There is no systematic collection or publication of data on police interactions with persons with disabilities whether during the filing of FIRs, arrests, statements, or court-related procedures and this absence makes it nearly impossible to monitor compliance or drive policy reform, reveals a new report by Bengaluru-based law and policy think tank Pacta.
Titled 'Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities in India: A Data Informed Report', the study finds how systemic exclusion, inaccessible infrastructure, and legal neglect continue to deny persons with disabilities equal treatment in India's policing system.
Despite the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 mandating 4% reservation in government jobs, the report finds that police forces across states and union territories remain exempt from this requirement.
'There is no reason why the police should remain outside the scope of disability inclusion,' the report notes, stressing that job roles appropriate to specific disabilities must be clearly identified and advertised, and accommodations made so people can perform these roles.'
