SCR Arrests 212 Eunuchs / Transgenders
Dear South Central Railways (and Sambasiva Rao),
Seriously? “Eunuchs?” Is that the best word you could come up with? Do you even realize that it is considered a derogatory word? The current vernacular is “Transgender” and “Transgender” only.
It gives me immense pleasure that, in the 22nd century, we have such an esteemed Public Relations Officer, with such an impeccable command of language and usage of words in the English language. If anything, Sambasiva Rao, I find it more than heartening that you and your brothers are working your ass-off in “eradicating a menace” and “cleaning up” the system. I am sure, the trains toilets and the platforms will be so immaculately clean now that I can eat my dinner right off them let alone sleep in them. I am also sure by “eradicating this menace” all women and gender-non-conforming travelers can travel safely in trains.
The marginalized trans community in India was making a living on these trains having been denied an education, job and been limited to any other ways of survival. Thanks to you, you have retrieved whatever money these folks made and pushed these 34,150 Rupees of our very valuable tax money back into the system. Why bother about the rich when we can harass the needy, right? America does it, then why not we. By all means we should emulate this, because that is where success lies. Poor, needy people are just parasites living off our very note-worthy (no pun intended) money.
The use of the word “eunuch” is deplorable. I am not sure about you, but I come from India too and in the place I come from, we sure are way more civilized than using words like this. And we do choose the public relation officer so as to be aware of what he is talking. Like a million trans folks and a billion Indians in this world, I am personally very offended by the use of this word.
Anyways, thanks for being such a dedicated government agency. I am sure the Indian thatha will be very happy with your performance. I wish I could give you a 3 finger salute but all I can manage is the middle one-straight up.
Interesting Related link [Link]
Loading ...
@rashmi- with u on all counts! finally a post which made me feel an anger that we need as a community to stand up against so many of such ignorant idiots!
This is outrageous! Bangalore conducted such a drive few years back in an attempt to “beautify” the city. Social cleansing attempts of these sorts against the vulnerable Trans community needs to be countered! What can we do?
Rashmi – Thanks for this powerful post. As Sonal said, with you in all counts. Hugs.
Thanks both. The worse thing is some leading newspapers including Times Of India, The New Indian Express continue to use these derogatory terms. Just do a google search.
I do not know what to do here. Indian railways as I know it is big, bureaucratic, dirty, unresponsive, arrogant, completely non-functional. Add to this “ignorance” and you have a useless monster.
This is very bad
We have to stand up and fight for our rights.
‘Menace’?
In a country where there are no laws to protect Hijra//intersex people, where gender variant children are vulnerable to all kinds of abuses, no welfare schemes for the poor hijra/transgender/intersex people (except in the state of Tamilnadu), what do you expect the hijra population to do? Families throw us out. In schools, colleges and in work place, people don’t respect us. They discriminate and laugh at us. They call us menace.
In the state of Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere it is the same. The state government has neither taken any good initiative, implemented welfare schemes that will reach the community nor has appointed a committee to analyze the problems of the community. When the state administration and the media are ignorant, I am not surprised we people are termed ‘menace’ and are arrested by the railway police in Andhra Pradesh.
We need to go a long way!
Dear Kalki,
Any plans of protest by Sahodari foundation? dont think we should let this go…. let me know if you come up with ideas.
Magdalene
thank you rashmi, this is a important critique of the transphobia which is going ignored by journalists and even most activists… what really upsets me is the openness with which the department is carrying out a discriminatory policy against transgender people- even going as far as to announce “special raids” against the trans community. these things do happen to oppressed minority groups but its not exactly something government departments usually brag about in their press releases! this whole thing made me so upset, and the uncritical silence about it, even more. thanks for writing this.
This is ridiculous… purely ridiculous… nutjobs the lot of them! If they believe prosecution of the “menace” referred to here incorrectly is the solution. By god, when did people forget that everyone is a human being?
#$%##*@$%!!!!
Shame on you South Central Railway for treating their presence as a menace and for boasting the number of them who have been arrested and extracted money from in the form of fines! Does the railway have no better way of making money? Transgender people are among the most marginalized, and your ‘drive’ has made them further marginalized and pushed them underground. Has the railway even heard of anything called human dignity which ought to be at the core of all the work that we do? And Chief Public Relations Officer Mr. Sambasiva Rao, please quit. You dont deserve to be in the post that you hold. The clean up has to happen in your mind and your perspectives!
Not once but ‘every time’ (almost every week) I traveled back home by train (always second class as I could only afford that), I was not ‘asked’ rather ‘forced’ to part with money. Else I will be ‘shown’ their parts or ‘touched’. I knew these are underprivileged people who does not have a way to earn money. But that does not give them the right to touch me inappropriately or intimidate or abuse me to part with my money. Its abuse and extortion in broad day light. Once during a weekday when the whole compartment was near empty- me and my friend were harassed by six people who did everything dirty that none could forget. At one point were were pleading them. But they were strong and determined to do whatever it takes for the money. Finally we had to give everything in our wallet to get rid of them. If you are decent and gentle- you become soft targets. But they will not mess around with those big bullies who will not hesitate to use and exploit them given a chance. I’ve wondered should I become / act like one of those rogues to secure me. Compassion and empathy at those moments takes a backstage. Many times I had to agree with my friends- it is a menace.
Railways / Government on the other hand should find some real solution and just not put them behind bars. They are not a disease to be eradicated but really desperate discriminated people who can go to any levels for money while we deny them every opportunity for a decent living. Their basic human rights needs to be reinstated.
Talking of one’s rights doesn’t mean harassing others. No way one can question this act of southern railway. If society doesn’t treat u properly it doesn’t mean you can travel without tickets or rob people of their hard earned money(even if it is a rupee). THese people don’t spare young college going kids. For their mistake they were punished. USing the blanket of minority or under privileged doesn’t help. You harass, we complain and railway takes action. FIghting for your rights never justifies doing such things. I support their plight, see them like everyone else, so the rule of equality n law applies to them too.
@writer : We are protesting against a “targeted action” against the community. Being at the receiving end of harassment, I am sure, most Q folks do know when someone gets harassed. What we are protesting against is the “action against transgender”. I identify myself as a trans. If I had been traveling in the train – as a passenger, with ticket and sitting by the corner and should the cops harass me for the only reason for being trans is downright harassment. And the news article said just that.
Targeting a whole community rather than a few selected mischievous individuals is harassment and this is in mass scale leads to genocide.
And I do not condone this act.
I am also against the use of such language to describe a group of folks.
@Rashmi: YOu are perceiving it very wrongly and you are not the only one who is doing It. YOu read the govt order clearly. It doesn’t target the community, It clearly targets, ‘exxxx menace’. The focus is on menace. As for your hypothetical situation, if the order had said any transgender in railway station will be fined then you ve a point. ALienation from govt is also bad and that throws light on your(everyone who projects dis govt action wrongly) vested interest. The action is definitely on a complaint. So do you mean govt has to be a mute spectator when for this menace? Remember something very clearly. OUr govt is the only one which works for uplifting minority in the whole of the region. NOt only transgender community, all minorities are abusing privileges and harassing common people, so this action of the railways.
NOTE: don’t brand me and lose my point.
@writer: Neither am I asking anyone to be a mute spectator , nor am I branding anyone. My comments were in relation to your comments and no one is judging anyone here.
I want to make 2 points:
- I do not know of any privilege that the trans community enjoys. And even in a broader sense, anyone in the Queer community. The harassment, the embarassment, the disrespect, the negligence by the powers and the discrimination faced on a daily basis makes me wonder what privileges we have that cis, straight folks do not enjoy. Education, employment, right to live one’s own life, which one?
- I am not sure what “menace” here means. Is being trans a menace? So is it ok for me to call this action as a ‘Govt. menace’ or a ‘police menace’ where these people of power harass a set of folks. It is evident from the report issued by the govt. itself that they did not think it was important for them to establish what kind of menace. Very convenient for them!
@Writer : I have some questions for ya!
1) I live in the US. Let us assume an Indian guy robs a passenger in train.. if the police department conducts a drive and arrests all Indians in the area and calls the drive “eradicating the Indian Menace” wouldn’t you & every Indian be outraged?
That is the point here. What is the need to target a whole community than the actual wrong action? Why can’t they call it “eradicating the theft menace?”. You think men and women don’t harass passengers in train? Even kids do! Do you think the Railways would have the guts to target a people from a specific region, language or caste like this? It is always easy to kick the vulnerable, isn’t it?
(Read the SCR order clearly, it says they arrested 212 Hijras and recovered money from them, that they had begged. Do you think all 212 harassed passengers? it cant be!)
2) I have the same question as Rashmi. What sort of privileges you are talking about? I think you have a general frustration about minority rights & privileges in this country and taking it out on this incident. Not right and not fair.
Thanks everyone. I hear a lot of opinions here and while we have our agreements and disagreements, we have to makes sure that no marginalized community is ‘targeted’. Also, the dailies should be respectful by using the correct language.
@Shri >> I agree
Hugs !
If enuchs form a vote bank then the political parties and governments in India will bend backwards to accomodate them and their concerns.