Tension prevailed on the arterial Poonamallee High Road as the police lathicharged a section of transgenders who attempted to proceed towards the City Police Commissioner’s office, demanding action against the police personnel who they claimed were allegedly responsible for the death of Thara, a transgender, in front of Pony Bazaar Police Station.
According to police, Thara (27) left her two-wheeler on Thirumalaipillai Road in T.Nagar, when a police patrol team asked an assembly of a few transgenders to disperse from there. The vehicle was taken by the police patrol team to the station. Police sources claimed that Thara later came to the police station, in the early hours of Wednesday, and insisted that the police personnel return the vehicle. They had asked her to take the vehicle the next morning.
Police claimed that Thara was drunk and could not ride her bike back, and insisted there was no excesses on their part in this case. She doused herself with petrol and apparently set herself on fire outside the police station.
Disputing the police version of suicide, Thara’s mother and a group of transgenders suspected foul play by the police; they claimed that there was no credible evidence to substantiate the police version. Also, they questioned how Thara could have got access to fuel to set herself on fire early in the morning.
Under such circumstances, on Thursday, transgenders decided to assemble before the Commissioner’s office in Vepery demanding action against the police personnel who were allegedly responsible for the death of Thara.
A section of them was blocked by the police near the Deputy Commissioner’s office near Kilpauk and police personnel resorted to lathicharge.
A senior police officer said, “We used mild force as they were adamant that they would walk to the commissioner’s office. Moreover, some of them were blocking the traffic and creating a ruckus on the road.”
Tension prevailed around the Commissioner’s office when a section of transgenders managed to reach the spot, running past police personnel on duty. Since then, a strong police force was deployed to avert any untoward incident.
Police officers held talks with the transgenders later, and a few representatives were escorted inside to submit a complaint.
