Some 100 physically challenged persons under the banner of Joint Forum — an apex body of three organisations — held a daylong demonstration at the BDO office in Kalchini of the district on Monday to seek various benefits from the administration and threatened an indefinite hunger strike soon if their demands are not met.

The physically challenged demonstrators, including youths, alleged that they were being deprived of education and skill-training opportunities as well as loans and prosthetic aids that would help them become self-reliant. They also added that it was extremely difficult for them to get the disability certificate from the government, as that entails making several rounds in various offices.

“We held the demonstration to press for our 14-point charter of demands,” said Labh Kumar Hossain, one of the protesters. “There is no special school for disabled children in Kalchini block and thus they are deprived of education. This greatly reduces their employment opportunities. Also, when most certificates are issued online these days, a disabled person has to make rounds in government offices here and in Alipurduar to get his or her certificate,” Hossain said.

In the morning, they assembled at the BDO office premises in ones and twos, carrying posters and placards. After some time, they launched a sit-in demonstration.

The protest, they said, had been supported by the Kalchini Disabled Welfare Society, the Dooars Divyang Kalyan Samiti and the Kalchini Khad Divyang Sangh.

The demonstrators also said that though the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 states there should be a vocation training facility for the disabled in each block, there is no such infrastructure in and around Kalchini.

“There are different state-sponsored schemes for people like us. Among these include loans for self-employment, free distribution of prosthetic aids as well as scholarships. But in this block, these schemes are not extended to us. Even in case of government recruitment, we are not given any priority,” said Amit Lohara, another protester.

During the course of the protests, they also wanted the administration to see to it that there was no delay in issuing the disability certificate or disbursing loans for self-employment.

The protest made Prashanta Burman, the block development officer of Kalchini, communicate the information to Alipurduar district magistrate Surendra Kumar Meena.

“I do not have any authority to give any assurance to them. That is why I have written to the district magistrate, mentioning their demands,” said Burman.

Sources in the administration said there was a proposal to reach out to these people during the ongoing Duare Sarkar or government-on-doorstep campaign floated by the state government.

“The idea is to help them get all the benefits that they are entitled to receive from the government at the camps of Duare Sarkar,” said a source.