Transgender board: NHRC seeks report

Patna: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognisance of a complaint alleging systemic discrimination by the Bihar govt against the transgender community following the state’s failure to operationalise the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board.Acting vice chairperson of the board Rajan Singh said, “Despite the board's formation six months ago, the body remains non-functional and leaves the community without administrative representation.”According to the NHRC case file, “The complainant alleges that the Bihar government formed the Bihar State Transgender Welfare Board on Aug 8, 2025, but since then, members have not been given office space and their post has been declared ‘without salary’, leading to discrimination.”

The file further notes that as a result of these conditions, “many transgender community complaints remain unregistered” and police protection and support during district-level public hearings are also not provided.“The NHRC informed the Bihar State Human Rights Commission regarding this issue,” Singh said. “Additionally, the Bihar govt and the principal secretary of the social welfare department were asked to give a report to the NHRC on the matter within six weeks,” he added.

The transgender community in Bihar, which has an estimated population of over two lakh, remains largely unregistered.Singh accused the govt of forming the board prior to elections to secure the support of the vote bank. “The state govt is discriminating against us,” Singh said. “The social welfare department declared our positions unpaid. If we aren't provided with a salary or an office, how are we expected to work? This is unconstitutional,” he added.