Wheelchair User Stranded at Mumbai Metro Station After Lift Failure
A late-night journey on the Mumbai Metro turned into a harrowing experience for a wheelchair user. The incident occurred at Worli Metro station, where a broken lift left him completely stranded for over 45 minutes.
Comedian Karn Shah Shares Distressing Video
Mumbai-based comedian Karn Shah documented the ordeal in an Instagram video. He described it as "one of the most horrific nights" of his life. Shah emphasized that his fear stemmed not from his disability, but from the complete failure of support systems designed to assist him.
The only lift at Worli station was non-functional. This left Shah trapped with no safe exit route. In his video, he states clearly: "So I'm at the Worli metro station and the lift is not working over here and it's been over 45 minutes that I have been standing over here."
Shocking Response from Staff
When Shah sought assistance, the response he received was deeply troubling. Staff members reportedly told him to "walk home." He turned his camera toward the busy main road, highlighting the danger of such a suggestion.
"You can see how the main road is. It is busy and they expect me to go from this road all the way to the other from Worli," Shah says in the clip. The video shows fast-moving traffic, including cars, buses, and bikes, making any attempt to cross on foot extremely hazardous for a wheelchair user.
Complete System Failure
The situation worsened when emergency support mechanisms failed entirely. Shah attempted to call the helpline multiple times, but each call disconnected automatically after just two rings.
He found himself alone on a busy road late at night with:
- No staff assistance available
- No functioning lift for access
- No accessible washroom, despite urgent need
Viral Outrage and Public Reaction
The video quickly went viral, sparking widespread anger on social media. Netizens expressed their fury at how accessibility infrastructure is often treated as a mere formality rather than a functional necessity.
One user commented: "This is just terrible. This needs to be fixed. Thank you for raising this and so sorry you had to go through this." Another wrote: "Your hands were shivering. Oh dear I cried watching this, I know how lonely you would have felt."
A third response captured the public sentiment: "Sorry you have to go through this bro… Hope this country wakes up to accessibility and value life."
Many criticized the authorities for maintaining fancy metro stations while neglecting basic accessibility. One comment summarized the anger: "The cruelty of telling someone in a wheelchair to 'walk home' is genuinely dystopian. We can build fancy metro stations but can't maintain basic accessibility infrastructure or train staff to have basic human decency."
This incident has reignited crucial conversations about the state of public infrastructure for disabled citizens in India's metropolitan centers. It highlights a glaring gap between modern development and practical, reliable accessibility that people can depend on in real-life situations.
