Hyderabad: After repeated incidents of attacks on the transgender community in the state, the Telangana gig and platform workers union have urged the authorities to take stern action against the perpetrators and establish a safe environment for the community.
The atrocities have reportedly intensified since the beginning of 2023. It is alleged that an organised gang of criminals is behind the atrocities and brutalities against transgender people.
An official TGPWU statement said, “The gang, led by individuals identified as Arjun Singh, Jameel, Puppala Sagar, Shashi, and Munna, has been involved in numerous violent acts against the transgender community.”
Citing multiple cases of violence against the community, the TGPWU recalled the very recent incident wherein a transgender person was lynched to death in Fatehpur on July 12, 2024. “The assailants video-called other transgender persons to show the victim’s disfigured body, further intimidating the community,” the statement said.
“Transgender persons in Telangana are living in constant fear. The police must act swiftly to safeguard our lives and rights. We hope this complaint will prompt immediate and decisive action to protect the community,” said the TGPWU president Shaik Salauddin.
Earlier, the Women and Transgender Joint Action Committee (JAC) had requested the Telangana government to pass comprehensive legislation to safeguard the transgender community.
Underscoring the recent spree of brutalities against the community, the JAC urged the government to grant 5 per cent horizontal and interlocking reservations to the transgender community in the reservation roster.
