Mumbai metro lift breakdown leaves wheelchair-using comedian stranded at Worli station: ‘Told to go home on foot’

14 hours ago 2

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A Mumbai-based wheelchair user has alleged severe accessibility lapses at Worli Metro station after a lift failure left him stranded for over 45 minutes, with staff allegedly asking him to “go home on foot”. The incident has triggered widespread outrage online.

Disabled commuter’s ordeal at Worli metro(X/rollyrollyshah)

A wheelchair-bound Mumbai-based stand-up comedian has sparked widespread anger online after alleging that he was left stranded at Worli metro station for over 45 minutes due to a malfunctioning lift, with no meaningful help from metro authorities.

The incident was shared on Instagram by Karn Shah, who described the experience as “one of the most horrific nights” of his life. Shah, who has also appeared on Samay Raina’s YouTube show India’s Got Latent, said the episode exposed how inaccessible public infrastructure continues to be for people with disabilities.

In the video, Shah said the only lift at Worli Metro Station was non-functional, leaving him unable to exit safely.

“I’ve been waiting here for over 45 minutes. Unfortunately, there is only one working lift at Worli, and that too isn’t working,” he said.

‘They Told Me To Go Home On Foot’

What followed, Shah said, was deeply alarming. When he asked station staff for assistance, he was allegedly told, “Aap ghar paidal chale jao” (Go home walking), despite being in a wheelchair.

Panning the camera towards the traffic outside the station, Shah added, “This is a busy main road. Cars, buses, bikes are all moving. And they expect me to go from Worli to Dadar like this.”

Emergency Helplines ‘Did Not Work’

Shah said repeated attempts to reach the metro’s emergency helpline were unsuccessful.

“I called the emergency number two or three times. They say they’ll connect you to someone, but the call disconnects in two seconds. No one picks up,” he said.

With no official assistance forthcoming, Shah said he was forced to move onto the road on his own, despite urgently needing access to a washroom.

“Nothing is accessible. There’s no wheelchair-friendly washroom because the metro isn’t working. I don’t know what to say anymore,” he said in the video.

‘Accessibility Is Not A Luxury’

In the caption accompanying his post, Shah stressed that the issue went far beyond a broken lift.

“Tonight I wasn’t scared because I’m disabled. I was scared because the system failed me at every step — lifts, helplines, roads, washrooms,” he wrote.

“Accessibility is not luxury infrastructure. It is basic human dignity.”

Public Outrage And Calls For Accountability

The video has since gone viral, with many users calling the incident a systemic failure. Some compared India’s infrastructure with accessibility standards abroad, while others demanded accountability from authorities.

“This is just terrible. This needs to be fixed. Thank you for raising this and so sorry you had to go through this," a user wrote.

Another wrote, “You need an insane amount of determination to live with such an infrastructure for accessibility, really pray the system does something about this post the elections.”

“India isn't wheelchair friendly yet. Sorry you had to go through this,” the third user wrote on Instagram.

A sarcastic post aimed at officials read: “Brilliant job. Keep harassing citizens so everyone leaves the city.”