Odisha: Sign language interpreters at police stations for hearing-impaired, mute people

In a first, Odisha Government will empanel sign language interpreters at the police stations to assist people with hearing and speaking disabilities.

Speaking to ANI, State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Sulochana Das said that the interpreters will assist divyangs in recording their statements and filing FIRs at the police stations.

"Deaf and mute people are very prone to crime and they can't explain the crime. It is difficult to understand their language also. So, Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 has mentioned that every police station should have a sign language instructor," she said.

She also said that besides registering the police complaints, these interpreters will also provide help to such citizens in further legal proceedings.

"They will help specially-abled persons to register their FIR and also interpret their feelings in the court. We have given a list of 13 certified sign language instructors to the police," she said.

In absence of interpretors, people with speaking and hearing disabilities encounter extreme difficulty in regestering their cases and narrating their ordeal to concerned law and order authorities.