P K Pincha, India’s first disabled commissioner of persons with disabilities passes away

Tributes are pouring in for Prasanna Kumar Pincha, the former Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities who passed away this morning. Mr Pincha, who was blind since birth, was the first disabled person appointed to this post and was Special Rapporteur with National Human Rights Commission.

‘Honest and wonderful”. ‘Great loss for the disability sector’

Reactions pouring in to the passing away of Prasanna Kumar Pincha, the former Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, who died in New Delhi on Sunday morning. Mr Pincha breathed his last at the Max Super Speciality Hospital. As the first person with disability appointed to the post, Mr Pincha is credited with path breaking judgements.

Reacting to his death Dr Satendra Singh, the disability rights advocate, said,

“On 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act, India lost a profoundly passionate and seasoned activist who continued his advocacy to make the disability legislation in India as a right based through his various judgements”. Commenting on Mr Pincha’s trademark booming voice, Dr Singh said he learned a great deal from Mr Pincha. “As the first disabled CCPD he had the guts to summon his own department on failure to work for the cause of disabled. It’s a great loss for the disability sector. Words fall short of expressing my sorrow. Someone so special can never be forgotten, may his soul rest in peace”.

Danish Mahajan, Co-founder, Radio Udaan, said he was completely shattered and said Mr Pincha had shaped his journey in disability rights activism. “Today I am not only sadden but completely shattered at the demise of Shri Prasanna Kumar Pincha ji who have shaped, mentored and guided me throughout my journey of becoming disability activist. Undoubtedly, we have lost one of the finest brain of disability sector without whom we could not come so far towards empowerment of persons with disabilities”.

Apart from working for the rights of persons with disabilities, Mr Pincha looked into the issues of other marginalised groups as well. This is evident from his work during his association with ActionAid. Undeterred by his blindness, he had worked in the most difficult terrains of Northeast India.

As CCPD, he never allowed his disability to come in the way of his work for the disabled community. His court case for banking rights for the blind is legendary.