"Dear friends. Myself Nidhi Mishra, is contesting JNUSU elections for President post this year. I am the first blind scholar to contest for the post and also the first time 'Chatra Savarna Morcha' has entered into the campus electoral politics.
What happened between the night of 12 September and 13 September i.e, during the Presidential debate was the most shameful and brazen display of silencing the marginalised voices through exclusion by Election Commission of JNU. EC, which has sympathisers of left as well as right, left no stone unturned in excluding me from the whole electoral process.
I reached the venue only to find out that it was inaccessible for the disabled people like me. As a blind I need an escort, a constitutional right (for the kind information of those who raise slogans in the name of Ambedkar) but EC members told me that I should be on my own and returned him. During the break when I told them that I need to use washroom they took 20 minutes to let je show the way but with insensitive and inhuman way. Such was the apathy that I fell down twice, got hit by some sharp object and left on my own down the stage. I am in national squad for upcoming Asian Games in October. Their inhuman behaviour left my ankle sprained and arm injured.
It was this behaviour that I couldn't come back for the question and answer round of the debate.
Interestingly a presidential candidate was missing from the question & answer round and they didn't bother to ask for her. It clearly shows that EC did it in a preplanned manner so that a blind student can never dare to raise her/his voice.
It is a clearly a breach of equal opportunity. I was not given equal opportunity to put forward my views in front of the student community. How can it be a free and fair election?
It is a clear case of denial of opportunity and exclusion of a blind woman. Is this not the discrimination or will you keep silence because my surname is Mishra and your political masters have told you that being Mishra makes one privileged? Is this because I am a Mishra that my blindness, gender, rural background and economic status won't matter?
I urge the administration, student community and sympathisers that they press EC for re-organising the Presidential debate again so that elections can be held in a free, fair and democratic manner."
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