Nagaland creator Akangjungshi Jamir apologises after his viral disability-themed reel draws criticism from wheelchair users and rights advocates
DIMAPUR — A reel showing Nagaland-based content creator Akangjungshi Jamir imitating a person with a disability to enter an accessible toilet has been viewed more than 2.7 million times on Instagram, drawing criticism from disability rights advocates and wheelchair users.
The reel, posted by Jamir (@crazylifeofjung), has received around 63,000 likes, 93,800 shares and more than 400 reposts.
In the video, Jamir is seen imitating a person with a disability before entering a toilet marked with the wheelchair-accessibility symbol. The embedded text on the reel reads, “Wanted to see how their washroom looks.”
The video drew criticism from wheelchair users, including disability rights advocate Diethono Nakhro, who said disability was being used as a prop for content and laughs.
Nakhro, a former Nagaland State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, said Jamir was “imitating a disabled person for entertainment, ostensibly to see what an accessible toilet looks like”.
“Disability is being used as a prop for content and laughs. That is not humour. It is ableism. Let’s stop calling ableism ‘just a joke’,” she said in a post sharing the reel.
Nakhro said the issue was not about being “too sensitive” or being unable to take a joke.
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“Disabled people have heard these jokes our entire lives. We know exactly where they lead—ridicule, humiliation, stereotyping and the normalisation of disrespect,” she said.
She said an accessible toilet was not a novelty or a backdrop for comedy, noting that accessibility could determine whether a person with a disability could use a public facility and participate in society with dignity and independence.
Inaholi Zhimo, a wheelchair user and entrepreneur who makes and sells crochet items, said seeing the reel, particularly people laughing about it, made her feel bad.
“As a wheelchair user, I know the daily struggles of living with a disability. When someone imitates it for entertainment, it hurts because they are making a joke out of something that is my real life and the reality of many disabled people,” she said.
Jamir, when contacted for a response, initially said he had not expected the reel to receive the attention it did, adding that he had “no bad intentions against anyone while making the video”.
He subsequently apologised for the video and said he would delete the post.
“I am deeply sorry for the video I posted showing me entering an accessible washroom,” he said.
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“Though I had no intentions to hurt anyone, now I’ve realised that what I did was thoughtless and wrong,” he added.
Jamir said accessible washrooms were “vital spaces for people who face real daily barriers” and should never be treated as a curiosity.
“My actions showed a complete lack of respect for the community,” he said, apologising to those he had hurt and disrespected.
The comments on the post were turned off after Jamir was contacted for a response. However, at the time of filing this report, the reel was still available on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Nakhro said people who genuinely wanted to know what an accessible toilet looked like could do so through respectful means, including asking, visiting with permission or listening to persons with disabilities themselves.
She said the response to the reel showed the need for greater awareness about disability and called on people to speak up when disability was mocked or trivialised.
Inaholi said disability was part of the everyday reality of many people and deserved respect.
“Disability is not a joke or something to make fun of. It’s something we live with every day, and it deserves respect,” she said.
This report is facilitated by the LIC HFL Sarthak.
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