By XAVIER SMERDON
A WERRIBEE doctor who is missing his left arm and leg has expressed his shock and fear after he was threatened and his car was vandalised, just because he parked in a disabled spot.
Dr Vishal Sharma was hit by a truck in his birth country of India when he was just four-years-old, leaving him with his significant disability.
Faced with hurdles his entire life, Dr Sharma was forced to study medicine in Russia after being refused entry to medical school in India because of his injuries.
He later moved to England where he practiced his trade for several years, before moving to Wyndham five months ago to work out of the Tarneit Rd Health Clinic in Werribee.
On Monday 27 June after a long day of work helping his Wyndham patients, Dr Sharma returned to his car to find an angry letter on his windshield.
The letter threatened him not to park in his regular disabled parking spot anymore.
“Just because you can afford a Mercedes does not mean that persons with a genuine disability have to park somewhere else, just because you are such a selfish bastard that all you can think about (is) to park somewhere where there is the least chance that your car will be damaged,” the letter read.
“Well I made sure that you don’t have to worry any more as I made some nice scratches on your doors and if you park here again tomorrow I will damage your car that it will bring tears to your eyes.”
Only after he read the letter did Dr Sharma notice two large scratches on his passenger side door and one on the driver side door of his car.
“I was absolutely shocked,” Dr Sharma told Star.
“It’s incredible that they got so aggressive about it.
“I feel victimised, and I wonder what I have done to deserve this.”
Dr Sharma did have a European Union disabled parking permit on display, which is valid in Victoria.
The letter finished with a haunting threat to Dr Sharma’s safety.
“Don’t push your luck because it has just run out,” it said.
“Park somewhere else and have a happy life.”
Dr Sharma said the attack made him feel vulnerable and for several days he had driven his wife’s car to avoid a repeat of the incident.
“The only thing I did wrong was be disabled and have a nice car,” he said.
“I just want to say to them, look at me. Is this not a genuine disability?
“The assumption they’ve made is that if you’ve got a nice car you can’t be disabled. Who are they to act as the law?”
The incident was reported to police and a Victoria Police spokesperson said it could result in jail time.
Chairman of the Wyndham Disability Advisory Group, Roger Bruhn, slammed the actions of the vandal.
“I think it’s absolutely disgusting,” Mr Bruhn said.
“This is a real problem in Wyndham and we can see no benefit for the cause of disabled motorists from this action.
“They are either mentally deranged or they have a grudge of some sort.”
Dr Sharma said he did not judge the wider Wyndham community because of the incident, but he encouraged people to be more understanding.
“I wouldn’t judge other people because of this, I’m wise enough to know it’s not the whole country against me,” he said.
“Sometimes it is impossible to just look at someone and tell if they have a disability.
“A young person could have rheumatoid arthritis, which can be quite debilitating, but maybe not easily noticeable.”
Mr Bruhn encouraged anyone who witnessed what they thought was someone wrongfully parking in a disabled spot to take a photo of the car and report it to the council.
Anyone that knows anything about the incident should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
