Minority Affairs Ministry Lifts Haj Ban for the Differently-Abled

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has lifted the ban on the people with disabilities applying for Haj.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.

(Photo: IANS)

After the National Platform for Rights of Disabled wrote to Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, urging him to drop a number of provisions from the government's guidelines for Haj pilgrims, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has heeded to their request and lifted the ban on people with disabilities applying for Haj.

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, speaking to The Indian Express, said:

These guidelines have been in place for the last 60 years or so. Maybe, Saudi Arabia had certain restrictions. However, from this year on, we will allow persons with disabilities to apply for Haj.

The ministry has ordered the Haj Committee to align its 2018-2022 guidelines with respect to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.

The Haj Committee’s guidelines state that any Indian citizen who is a Muslim can apply for the pilgrimage, “except for those who do not have the mental or physical health to perform the pilgrimage, persons whose legs are amputated, who are crippled, handicapped, lunatic, or otherwise physically or mentally incapacitated.”

The Minority Affairs Ministry has taken the clause down from its website and replaced it with the disclaimer - “This clause of eligibility is under review,” The Indian Express reported.

According to IE, the 2018-2022 guidelines were set up on a review committee’s October 2017 report, keeping the clause that banned people with disabilities from applying for Haj.

A delegation of disability rights activists, including the Muralidharan, secretary of National Platform for the Rights of Disabled, and Rajya Sabha MP from CPI(M) TK Rangarajan, met Naqvi to speak about the issue.

The Union Minister said this ban had existed for years and no one had ever paid any heed to it. Now that it has been brought to their notice, they will rectify it.

Muralidharan, Secretary, National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled

Several disability rights groups had written to Naqvi asking him to take a second look at the eligibility criteria under the 2018-2022 policy, which discriminates those who are differently-abled, also noting the fact that the terminology used to refer to the disabled was ‘derogatory and abusive.’

These guidelines also prohibited “those afflicted with polio, tuberculosis, congestive cardiac & respiratory ailment, acute coronary insufficiency, coronary thrombosis, mental disorder, infectious leprosy, AIDS or any other communicable disease / disability.”

It has been stated that not only do these provisions violate the rights of persons with disabilities, but even Saudi Arabia has made improvements in the facilities provided to the elderly and the disabled during Haj.

Naqvi had informed Rajya Sabha MP Rangarajan that this matter is being examined by the ministry and that proper action is being taken to correct this.

The minister said that the issue will be discussed with Saudi Arabia, if necessary. He has given an assurance that those with disabilities will be permitted to go for Haj.

Rangarajan, Rajya Sabha MP

(With inputs from The Indian Express)