Meerut: Tejveer Singh, a visually impaired Sanskrit teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya here , was taken by surprise when he learnt that he has been assigned election duty as polling officer. He is not alone. Vikrant Kumar who uses callipers due to his locomotive disability and Vijendra Singh with 50% disability in his legs were also assigned poll duty. The three teachers have never executed election duty before. The trio visited the district magistrate to explain their inability to perform as poll officers on Friday.The trio has been assigned poll duty despite Election Commission norms exempting people with disabilities from doing poll duty.“I am 100% visually impaired and I have no idea how I will perform election duty. I have been working since 2003 at Kendriya Vidyalayas and have never done any election duty because it is impossible to do one with the kind of impairment that I have. For UP assembly election in 2017, I was assigned election duty but the order was cancelled later. I hope this will happen this time, too,” said Tejveer Singh. He added that even if his duty was cancelled later, coming to the district authorities itself is harassment as they already know about his disability. Singh teaches Sanskrit by using Braille books at Kendriya Vidyalaya.Apart from Tejveer, Vikrant Kumar and Vijendra Singh — both of them who have disability in their legs and assigned election duties — also visited the district authorities on Friday.“As an election officer, one often has to carry the ballot box and other items, which is quite a task for me as I have 80% disability in my legs. I have requested that I should be exempted from duty and I really hope that the request doesn’t go unheard,” said Vikrant Kumar.The district authorities have now asked them to visit the collectorate and get themselves examined by the medical board on March 24 and March 26. “We already have disability certificates. Despite this, we are being asked to come for a fresh medical check-up. This is unnecessary harassment but all we hope now is that our duties are cancelled,” said Vijendra Singh.

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