Ggm: Differently-abled woman denied entry to posh restaurant

gurugram: There was a massive outrage after a 22-year-old differently abled woman identified as Srishti Pandey reported on her social media page that she was denied entry to a posh restaurant due to her condition.

A fine dining restaurant, Raasta in the Cyber Hub area. The incident reportedly occurred on Friday evening when Srishti along with her friends and her family went to dine in there.

According to Srishti, the staff did not allow her and her friend's family citing that as Srishti was wheelchair-bound, it would cause inconvenience and disturbances to other customers sitting inside the restaurant. After a lot of argument, the staff provided seating to Srishti and her friend's family outside.

"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," Pandey said in a series of tweets on Saturday.

"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," she added.

"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. After a lot of arguing, he told them to get a table outside. The outside seating was ridiculous. It was getting cold. And I can't sit out in cold for long because my body gets spastic," she said in another tweet.

However, it was chilly outside and the staff was once again requested to arrange a table inside which was once again refused and they were reportedly told to leave.

As soon as the tweet surfaced on social media, people started reacting with anger and the restaurant management apologised for the incident and said that they are looking into it.

Goumtesh Singh, the owner of Raasta also issued an apology to Srishti and her friend's family. He later also issued an official statement on the entire issue.

"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 a reason. We are also taking steps internally to heighten sensitivity and empathy among our staff so that this never happens again," were some excerpts from the statement.

The Gurugram Police has also responded to her tweet seeking her contact details for further action. With no formal complaint registered till Sunday evening the Gurugram Police has not registered an FIR in

this case.

Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt also reacted to her tweet, and wrote, "Am terribly saddened that this happened to you. We suffer from an absolute lack of grace as a society. Wheelchair accessibility is one thing but refusing to see a human being who is confined to one as an equal and deserving of dignity is quite another."