‘Disabled’ MP govt official seen dancing in viral video; selection questioned
The woman issued a clarification, claiming that she suffers from 45 percent disability due to bone-related problems, but can walk and dance.
A government official in Madhya Pradesh has reportedly come under fire for being appointed under the “disabled persons” quota after a video showing her dancing went viral recently.
A student organisation has called for an inquiry into her selection on Friday. The MP government official, Priyanka Kadam, issued a statement and claimed that there was nothing irregular regarding her appointment.
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She clarified that she had 45 percent disability due to bone-related problems though she is able to walk, and even dance.
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Kadam had appeared for the State Service Examination 2022 conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) and had recently been appointed as a district excise officer.
The leader of the National Educated Youth Union on Friday called into question the woman's claim of being “bone-disabled” and demanded that an inquiry be conducted into her disability certification.
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He called for a large scale verification of certificates belonging to candidates selected under the disabled quota in the MPPSC examination by doctors of the Bhopal-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
MPPSC officials have not issued any official statement yet.
Priyanka Kadam responded to the allegations saying, "I come from an ordinary background, and I have achieved my position in life by struggling hard," as quoted by PTI.
She revealed that she had suffered a serious hip injury after falling in a bathroom in 2017 and her MRI scan had shown that she had a condition called ‘avascular necrosis’ - where a person's bone tissues start dying due to obstruction in blood supply.
Kadam underwent four surgeries and said that she dances a little to keep her morale high.
“I may look like a normal woman at a first glance, but it is because of implants installed during a complex surgery that I am able to walk, and can even dance for five to ten minutes, as suggested by the doctors. But I also have to take painkillers at times,” she said.
Kadam is currently posted as assistant audit officer in the treasury and accounts department in Ujjain. Though selected as district excise officer, she has not yet been transferred to that post due to ongoing government processes.