Transgender person kidnapped and assaulted by own community; police register FIR

A 24-year-old transgender woman was allegedly kidnapped, assaulted, unlawfully detained, and had her head forcibly shaved by members of her own community in a suspected dispute over gharana affiliation in Bengaluru.

The incident reportedly took place between October 30 and 31, and the victim has been identified as Sukanya, a resident of Roopena Agrahara in Viratanagara in the limits of the Bommanahalli Police Station.

According to preliminary information, Sukanya was abducted from Krishnarajapuram on October 30 around 3 p.m. and taken to Roopena Agrahara, where she was allegedly beaten with a wooden stick and a ladle throughout the night. The assailants reportedly told her she must remain in their gharana for life and should not join another. Her head was then forcibly shaved, purportedly to ‘erase her identity as a woman’, and she was detained till the next day.

Following the intervention of Sangama and the Movement for Gender and Sexual Pluralism (MGSP), the police rescued Sukanya and registered a case.

In a joint statement, Sangama and MGSP condemned the incident and

said, “They are extending legal, medical, psychosocial, and safety support to Sukanya and have urged the police and the State authorities to ensure her protection and take swift legal action against those responsible.”

They also appealed to the Department of Women and Child Development to collaborate with organisations working for gender and sexual minorities to prevent similar incidents and uphold the rights and dignity of transgender persons across the State.