The detention of four transgender women pilgrims at Erumely by the Kerala Police, preventing them from travelling to Sabarimala, drew social media attention when one of them played out their interaction with the police on Facebook Live.
In their online narrative, the women said the police had shamed them for their gender and asked them why they could not go to Sabarimala dressed as men. The police also allegedly threatened their car driver.
The transgenders, Ananya, Tripti, Avanthika and Renjumol, hail from Kottayam and Ernakulam districts. They had arrived attired in dark saris and bearing the “Irumudi” bundle carried by Ayyappa devotees.
District Police Chief, Kottayam, Hari Sankar, told The Hindu that he had tasked the Dy.SP, Special Branch, Kottayam, to investigate the grievances aired by the group. He said the police were forced to prevent their journey because the law enforcement lacked legal clarity regarding the entry of transgenders to Sabarimala.
Mr. Sankar said the Supreme Court judgment on September 28 upheld the right of women, irrespective of their age, to worship at the shrine. However, the order was silent on the entry of transgenders and other sexual minorities. Mr. Sankar said he asked the group to move the ‘committee of observers’ appointed by the Kerala High Court to clear the ambiguity regarding their right to enter the temple.
(The committee comprises two retired High Court judges and a ranking IPS officer with powers to “supervise” the police and administrative arrangements in Sabarimala and take on the spot decisions if need be.)
The police also told the transgenders that the police would escort them to the sanctum if they got the committee’s nod. However, they would have to inform the force in advance of their darshan plan.
More than 90,000 people had thronged Sabarimala on Sunday. They had arrived in more than 6,500 vehicles. Mr. Sankar said that providing the transgender women special protection on a busy day would have severely strained police resources.
Meanwhile, the transgenders were scheduled to arrive in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday and meet High Court appointed observer and Director General, Fire and Rescue Services, A. Hemachandran, to state their case.
