A woman in a wheelchair, Shristi Pandey has alleged that a restaurant, Raasta, located in Gurugram’s DLF Cyberhub denied her entry when she went to dine with her friends and family. In a Twitter thread, she has complained how she has been asked to sit outside the restaurant as ‘her presence might disturb the other diners’. The owner of the restaurant Goumtesh Singh replied in the same tweet that they are ‘deeply regretful’ and ‘stand for inclusivity’.

This event has sparked outrage on social media, with many users calling out the irreplaceable harm that has been done to the psyche of an aggrieved person and her dignity that cannot be replaced by an online apology. 

The incident took place on February 12, 2022, the same day she took Twitter and explained her plight, she wrote,

“I went to my @raastagurgaon with my best friend and her fam last night. This was one of my first outings in so long and I wanted to have fun. Bhaiya (my friend’s elder brother) asked for a table for four. The staff at the desk ignored him twice. The third time he asked, the staff replied with “wheelchair andar nahi jaygi” (The wheelchair can’t go inside).

We thought it was an accessibility issue, but it wasn’t. We told him that we’d manage, just book us a table. What he said next left all of shocked for a while. He told us pointing towards me that “andar customers disturb hojaynge” (The customers will get disturbed) and denied us entry, with so much of ease. This came from the staff of a freaking fancy place. ”

I went to my @raastagurgaon with my best friend and her fam last night. This was one of my first outings in so long and I wanted to have fun. Bhaiya (my friend’s elder brother) asked for a table for four. The staff at the desk ignored him twice. 1/n

— Srishti (she/her🏳‍🌈) (@Srishhhh_tea) February 12, 2022

After the tweet got viral, the founder of the restaurant, Goumtesh Singh wrote an apology on his Twitter account for the incident and said that they are taking steps internally to heighten sensitivity and empathy for their staff.  He tweeted,

“We are deeply regretful of the episode that took place at Raasta Gurgaon on Friday evening. We stand for inclusivity and would never want anyone to feel singled out for any reason. As a part of our efforts, we have already reached out to the aggrieved patron to personally apologize to them. We are also taking steps internally to heighten sensitivity and empathy for our staff to ensure this never happens again.”

I went to my @raastagurgaon with my best friend and her fam last night. This was one of my first outings in so long and I wanted to have fun. Bhaiya (my friend’s elder brother) asked for a table for four. The staff at the desk ignored him twice. 1/n

— Srishti (she/her🏳‍🌈) (@Srishhhh_tea) February 12, 2022

However, Srishti in an interview showed the courage to speak up and highlight this awful thing that has been happening for ages in every sphere of life with specially-abled people. In the conversation, she even refused to accept the apology as she said, “This is something I have been personally facing for years now and a lot of my disabled friends have been facing. It is a systematic thing and not about just one restaurant or one staff member or one owner of this place, this is something that has been happening every day, all the time, and every second, I have been denied access before from places but this is the first time I have decided to speak up and take it forward.”

Where the owner of the restaurant Raasta, Goumtesh Singh denied speaking directly to the interviewer but Srishti, as he chose to apologise in person to her.

Moreover, on being asked again by the interviewer about what are the steps taken at the moment by the restaurant so such a thing won’t happen again, Goumtesh responded, “The manager who was responsible for this incident has been relieved from his duties.” Just after finishing this statement, he added, “I would directly like to speak with Srishti on a one-on-one basis, where I can apologise directly to her” and he dropped the call. He completely denies to say anything further in the interview that was aired on national television.

The lack of awareness and ignorance on such subjects lead to the kind of incidents that are happening nowadays. The government must plan to issue advisory to all city restaurants, bars, and pubs, directing them to deal with differently-abled persons in a sensitive manner.  As a society, we have failed the diabled by segregating them only.