Activist with disability claims hostel denied her a bed

Mumbai: Disability inclusion activist Shweta Mantrii was allegedly denied a bed at the Namaste Mumbai Backpackers (NMB) hostel in Bandra after being told that her condition might “make others uncomfortable”

Mumbai: Disability inclusion activist Shweta Mantrii was allegedly denied a bed at the Namaste Mumbai Backpackers (NMB) hostel in Bandra after being told that her condition might “make others uncomfortable”.

Born with spina bifida, Shweta Mantrii is a former public relations professional-turned-writer who took to stand-up comedy in 2017 to voice the issues faced by persons with disabilities. (HT PHOTO)

Born with spina bifida, Mantrii is a former public relations professional-turned-writer who took to stand-up comedy in 2017 to voice the issues faced by persons with disabilities. Mantrii said that she reached Mumbai on Wednesday night, as she was to perform at a stand-up comedy open mic the next day, and that the incident occurred after she reached the NMB hostel in Pali Village, Bandra, at around 11 pm.

“When I got there, there was only an upper bunk bed available,” she told HT. “The manager asked me why I hadn’t specifically requested a lower bed. I told him that the option wasn’t available when I made the booking through a website, and asked him if he could help me sort this out.”

According to Mantrii, the manager then implied that it would be difficult for her to stay there. “I’m sure that he could have managed but he started browsing alternative options for me on his phone,” she said. “I told him I was in no position to go anywhere else at that time of the night, but he repeated that I would not be comfortable there. I told him to let me decide about my comfort, to which he replied that I might be comfortable but other guests might be uncomfortable around me.”

Mantrii then decided to wait for her friend, who was coming to drop off her luggage. Her friend subsequently took her to her cousin’s residence in Malad. Mantrii later took to social media to talk about her experience.

Abul Choudhary, the manager at NMB, however, denied the allegations, saying that he did not mean to discriminate against Mantrii because of her disability. “What I meant was that other guests at the hostel would feel bad for her seeing the inconvenience that she would have faced, as we are not a disability-friendly establishment,” he said. “This is also mentioned on our website. There are staircases, no wheelchairs and other factors like wet bathroom floors which would have added to her problems.”

Choudhary added that no lower bed was reserved for Mantrii, as he was unable to reach her to confirm her booking. “It is a policy here that we contact the guests who book beds with us to confirm if they are indeed arriving,” he said. “We did not have her contact details and could only reach her through the website she used for the booking, and we received no response from her for an entire day. As a result, we allotted all the lower beds to other guests and by the time she reached here, only an upper bed was left.”