Transwoman booked for assaulting female student at Trichy bus stand

Trichy: A transwoman was booked on Monday on charges of brutally assaulting a female paramedical student inside a private bus at Chathiram bus stand in Trichy after she refused to give her money.

The transwoman is absconding.The victim, Rahima, 20, from Thuraiyur, is a third-year student at a govt medical college in Trichy.Police said the incident happened on Saturday afternoon as Rahima was waiting for a bus to return home after college. The transwoman approached her and asked for money. When Rahima refused, an argument ensued between them. As Rahima boarded a bus, the transwoman followed her and began assaulting her even as abusing and questioning her why she addressed her using ‘masculine pronouns’.The transwoman also pulled the student’s niqab, exposing her face. The student attempted to defend herself, but the transwoman overpowered her. When the student raised the alarm, other passengers merely looked on until the student started crying. The bus conductor, who was standing outside, then entered the bus and pulled the transwoman away.Rahima filed a complaint at Fort police station on Monday. After an inquiry, police registered a case under sections 296(b), 115(2), 308(4), and 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for abuse, voluntarily causing hurt, extortion, and assault with intent to outrage modesty.A video clip of the incident captured by a CCTV camera inside the bus went viral on social media, sparking public outrage. Police are searching for the accused.