India, Feb. 15 -- That Sunday seemed as good a day as any for a trip to the park. The winter chill had thawed, the sun was out, the skies were blue, sort-of, and the AQI had improved to a "moderate" 196. For the Sharma family there was an added incentive of taking their five-year old-daughter, Inika, to Delhi's Sunder Nursery park. Born with cerebral palsy caused by suffocation at birth, the doctors had told her parents, Raman and Mona, that she would never sit, stand or speak. Against medical advice, they took her home from hospital. Five years later, defying medical prognosis, she walks, runs and cycles. The parents had recently consulted doctors to figure out next steps. Socialise her, take her out, let her face feel the sun, the doctors advised. And that is how the Sharma family ended up in Sunder Nursery Park in what should have been a perfect day. In a video posted on Instagram on the handle, Inika_Unstoppable, set up initially to document a remarkable journey and the triumph of simple milestones - swallowing a sip of milk, learning to stand - you can see a visibly upset Mona confront a security guard at the children's playground. The guard insists, "Iska dimaag theek nahin hai (her mind is not ok)." He won't allow her on the swing. Later, he repeats his offensive statement on the record, on camera. No remorse, no embarrassment, and, says Raman, no response from Sunder Nursery even four days after posting the video. Public parks are supposed to be spaces of recreation and rest, an oasis of green amid increasing urbanisation, open, at least in theory, to all. Global guidelines released by the WHO in January call on governments to put children at the heart of urban design with public spaces crucial to their health, development and well-being. Playing in the park is essential for children to socialise, learn to get along, and stand up for each other. For children living with disability, "Playing in the park is essential. It's a kind of therapy," says Madhumati Bose, an early intervention educator who is instrumental in setting up, along with Apollo Tyres, one of Delhi's first playgrounds for children with all abilities at the Holy Family Hospital. An ActionAid report on 71 public parks in Delhi found only 44% had any facilities for children and these were rarely designed for those who live with disability. In addition to physical barriers - the lack of gates through which wheelchairs can enter, broken and uneven pathways, accessible toilets - there is stigma and ostracisation. Sunder Nursery is a fine park that is, despite its recent foray into overpriced cafes and packed events that create a traffic nightmare, fast becoming a beloved landmark. But beyond the impressive monuments, beyond its flora and fauna, beyond its art installations and book readings, it must ask who does it cater to? If a playground for children will not let a child, accompanied by her parents, feel the freedom of a swing, then who is that playground for? The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016 is a much-needed piece of legislation that focuses on dignity, inclusion and equal opportunity; rights and entitlements rather welfare and charity. When government spaces intended to be enjoyed by all are violated, its provisions must be invoked. Inika's parents want accountability so that what happened to their daughter is never repeated. "Every child has the right to play with dignity," Mona says on the video. "Inclusion is not optional."...