The Kollidam police did not register a complaint by a group of transgenders about sexual and physical assault of a transsexual boy by another group of transgenders, a team that rescued the boy alleged on Thursday.
The minor had been brainwashed by a group of transgenders into abandoning his family in Dindigul with the promise of funding his sex-reassignment surgery if he accompanied them to Tiruchi, according to Z. Suji, a transwoman living in Tiruchi, who had approached the Kollidam police for lodging a complaint.
The boy was made to consume alcohol, subjected to sexual assault, and forced into prostitution, said Suji, narrating the story on behalf of the affected minor.
Suji, with the support of Gopi Shankar, a member of the National Council for Transgender Persons, and a few other transgenders, took the 14-year-old boy to the Kollidam police station to file a complaint. “The police did not pay heed to us and did not even listen to the statement given by the child,” said Gopi. Suji claimed that they had also alerted the ‘1098’ Childline (child helpline), but appropriate guidance was not received. “It is shameful that the Childline does not know how to handle cases pertaining to non-binary children. There are sections under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act wherein offenders can be jailed for upto three years,” said Gopi.
Meanwhile, the minor’s parents were informed of the child’s whereabouts. “They were worried sick. We told them that he was safe with us and would be sent back. A group of transgenders from Theni arrived on Thursday afternoon and took the child back to restore him to his family,” said Suji.
When contacted, Z. Annie Vijaya, Deputy Inspector-General (DIG), Tiruchi Range, said she had been apprised of the incident. “I have asked the complainants to contact me. I will personally monitor the issue and ensure justice,” said the DIG.
