Transgender Social Worker beaten up and sexually assaulted by RailwayProtection Force Police for refusing sex at Sealdah Station, Calcutta

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Transgender Social Worker beaten up and sexually assaulted by Railway Protection

Force Police for refusing sex at Sealdah Station, Calcutta

Time: 22.45 hours – 11.30 p.m.

Date April 24, 2007

Place: Sealdah Station, Calcutta (Near Flyover) and inside RPF Police Station,

Sealdah Station

Subhajit Dey, a Peer Educator of a West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control

Society supported Targeted Intervention Project for communities at risk and

member of Pratyay, including transgendered and hijra populations, was severely

assaulted, sexually harassed harassed by members of Railway Protection Force, at

Sealdah station at around 2245 hours today. This is the first person account of

Subhajit, who is deeply scarred and extremely traumatized by the whole incident.

2 Plain-clothes policemen belonging to the Railway Protection Force accosted

Subhajit and an outreach client near Sealdah Flyover, outside Sealdah Station,

while they were entering the station premises to catch a train. The policemen

repeatedly insisted s/he meet them at a dark and secluded corner, which then

s/he declined.

The policemen kept on insisting that s/he meets them at that dark corner

(purportedly for having sex) but when s/he repeatedly declined the offer, the

policemen were enraged and insisted that the peer educator (and his friend) come

to the police station. Right before the Police Station, the plain-clothes

policemen started beating Subhajit and his outreach client, when the latter ran

away.

Subhajit was taken inside the police station, where 8 – 9 police officers (most

of them were in plain clothes, only a few – 1 or 2 were in uniform) started

harassing her. S/he was accused of committing ‘snatching’ and other crimes – and

all her requests to hear her out fell on deaf ears – when she tried to show her

identity card for the HIV/AIDS Intervention Project she worked with, her card

was thrown away – and not only that some policemen closed in on her and tried to

open her shirt top and undress her. They tore open the shirt buttons exposing

Subhajits inner wears and padded bras.

The policemen kept on repeatedly saying, “Why don’t you show what you have – why

don’t you undress?” Some of the policemen present also advised Subhajit to

‘listen and accept the demands’ of other policemen who demanded to have sexual

intercourse with Subhajit! While this ordeal continued over more than forty five

minutes inside the Sealdah Police Station, Subhajit was subjected to intense

physical, sexual and psychological torture, harassment and threat and abuse.

S/he was threatened by the policemen ‘never to be seen anywhere near Sealdah

again’ and was left off after Subhajit repeatedly pleaded with the policemen

that s/he was innocent and that s/he be let free. Subhajit was finally left with

an warning, at 23.30, nearly 45 minutes after s/he was subjected to intense

humiliation, physical and sexual abuse and a near rape situation. Subhajit broke

down while narrating these incidents after s/he returned home - visibly

traumatised and scarred!!!

We are horrified at this incident and demand punishment of the guilty policemen

involved and urging strong action against them. This sort of harassment and

sexual abuse has become routine against the transgendered community in Calcutta.

This incident marks the sorry state of security for a vulnerable community as

transgenders - the use of violence, sexual harassment, rape and rape like

situations, threatening them with arbitrary arrests are part of daily incidences

of their lives!!!

We urge the office of iDG/RPF, New Delhi, The Divisional Officers (Eastern

Railway) - Sr DSC/ Sealdah and RPF Officers of Zonal Headquarters, CSC to

initiate appropriate enquiry into the incident and suitable action against the

culprits.

In Solidarity,

Anindya Hajra

The Pratyay Gender Trust

e-mail: <anindyahajra@...>