Transgenders in khaki: Ready to take on the world

Two years ago, when Tanushree Sahu, 23, filled up the form to apply as a police constable in Chattisgarh, all hell broke loose at home. Her mistake was that she had selected the transgender category in it, ‘bringing disgrace to her family’. Her brother attacked her with an iron rod, made her head bleed and threw her out of the home in the middle of the night. Her parents turned their faces away when she pleaded to them for help. Sahu started living with a friend and kept herself focused on her police training.

The day her selection letter came, her family called her to say, “You are a chhakka (a derogatory term used for transgenders) , you have been selected under the chhakka category, you have brought us such shame. We wish you were dead.” Sahu is among the 13 transgender people that the Chhattisgarh police has recruited as constables in four districts of the state for the first time ever.

Soon, Sahu will join duty as a constable and become the first person in her entire clan to join the police force. “I am eagerly waiting for the day when I will step out in police uniform. I know my family would still be ashamed of me, but it doesn’t matter anymore.” Sahu says her biggest achievement would be to get justice to transgenders facing brutality and ostracism. “The day I will be able to stand for those who have been wronged, I will be truly proud of myself. Attacks on transgenders are a common occurrence. They are scared to go to the police station fearing ridicule. I want to change this situation forever,” she says.

Sahu is happy that she will be finally able to take off her scarf that she uses to cover her identity. “I wear it fearing hate. People stare, make fun, pass the most heartless remarks. All of that will end. The day I will wear khaki, I will not need to cover my face,” she says.

RK Vij, Special DGP, Chhattisgarh says that the recruitment of transgenders in the Chhattisgarh police is historic. It marks a new beginning not only for the thirteen (13) recruits but also their entire community. “Though each one of them has her own painful story of abuse and abandonment, their induction in the police force is a vital message to make people believe that they not only deserve the equal constitutional right of opportunity to employment but are also totally competent to compete with others. This is more significant in the backdrop that there was no reservation for the transgender community as a separate class,” he says.

The transgenders in khaki will now be first responders in handling law and order situations. “This will help in changing the perception of people who used to think of them as a fearful entity and had attached the stigma of identity, disability, criminals, or untouchables,” says Vij.

One of the recruits, Krishi Tandi, 22, looking forward to join service as a police constable says it’s the fulfilment of a promise that she had made to herself. “It’s like a festival for me! We are indeed creating history. I don’t feel hopeless anymore,” says Tandi who had to deal with the loss of both her parents in an interval of three months during her training. “I wanted to give my parents a surprise by turning up in uniform one day…but it was not destined. Now I want to devote myself to the protection and upliftment of my community,” she says.

She is glad that now she will have a new identity that she will be super proud of. “People looked at me as someone who could only sing and dance during celebrations. Now I will be known as police constable Krishi Tandi, who will protect transgenders and stand up for their rights,” she says.

Vidya Rajput, member Thirdgender Welfare Board, Chhattisgarh who was actively involved in coordinating training lessons for the recruits also nurtured the dream to be a cop in her childhood. “I used to think that if I become a cop, all the cruel hooting would stop. While I could never become one, I am glad that I have been able to encourage and help transgenders to join the police force and live their dreams,” says Rajput who has been helping them train for both physical as well as written examination.

The mindset will change massively, believes Rajput when transgender police personnel will be appointed in the police station. “In the eyes of the police, a transgender is either a criminal or a victim. None would have imagined that one day police stations would have transgenders in uniform standing up to protect the voiceless from their community,” she says.

Vij recalls the day when some transgenders came to his office with a request to organise a state level workshop to sensitise police officers, to which he readily agreed. “In this workshop, the police officers were apprised not only about the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in the landmark judgment, NALSA vs. Union of India (2014) about transgender rights but were also made aware about the impending The Transgenders Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016. It was a huge success. The message percolated down to the district level in no time and more workshops were organised to sensitise subordinate police officers. Necessary instructions were issued to the Superintendents of Police to ensure that transgenders are treated with dignity,” he says.

Training institutes were asked to educate recruits about transgenders and their rights. “This effort encouraged them to participate in recruitment and emerge successful,” says Vij.

The Chhattisgarh government constituted the Third gender Welfare Board in 2014, and issued instructions to include third-gender as one of the options (along with male and female) in all official documents which require mention of gender or sex of a person.

“Biases will melt away once the freshly recruited members of the transgender community join the force and start interacting with other members of the force,” says the DGP.

The selected transgenders will freely work with NGOs to bring about changes in the perception of people towards transgender community.

“We already have special cells in the police headquarters working closely with NGOs, dealing with the needs of elderly persons and rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked children. The jurisdiction of these cells can further be extended to the transgender community. Certain transgender NGOs such as Chhattisgarh Mitwa Sankalp Samiti are already working for the cause of transgenders. The successful candidates can now act as a catalyst of change for their community so that they get the respect they deserve as a part of society,” he says.