Were assaulted by police in Dwarka, say transpersons; cops say duty obstructed

Bela, coordinator at Mitr Trust’s Garima Greh, a shelter home for transgender persons, said that after 12.30am Friday, five Delhi Police officials, including one woman officer, came to the shelter home and asked for a person whom they said was reported missing by their parents in Uttar Pradesh.

A group of transgender persons alleged that they were assaulted by Delhi Police officials early Friday at Dwarka’s Dabri police station. Police, however, claimed that the group was aggressive and obstructed police personnel on duty, which is why they used minimal force to disperse them.

A group of transgender persons alleged that they were assaulted by Delhi Police officials. (Representative image)

Bela, coordinator at Mitr Trust’s Garima Greh, a shelter home for transgender persons, said that after 12.30am Friday, five Delhi Police officials, including one woman officer, came to the shelter home and asked for a person whom they said was reported missing by their parents in Uttar Pradesh. Rudrani Chhetri, founder of Mitr Trust, posted a video on social media alleging that the police personnel took the person forcefully from the shelter home.

“I told the police that they can’t take the person at this hour of the night but the officers said that they’ll have to take the person’s statement in front of senior officers. They said some of us could accompany the person,” Bela said, adding that she, two of her acquaintances and one security guard followed the cops to the police station.

When they reached the police station, however, they saw the police sending their friend away in a car. “I asked them where they were sending the person. I also said that we need the person’s consent to return to their parents in writing. We kept pleading with the police but they didn’t listen to us and asked us to leave the premises,” she alleged.

Bela also alleged that the policemen misbehaved with the group, touched her friend inappropriately and manhandled them. “First, a policeman started beating the guard and when we came to his rescue, they beat us mercilessly with sticks,” she alleged.

Responding to the allegations, deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Harsha Vardhan said that around 12.20am on Friday, a team of Uttar Pradesh Police from Badalpur police station, Gautam Budh Nagar, came to Dabri police station and sought their assistance regarding a missing person complaint. “They went to Garima Greh in Sitapuri and later left with the person they found. Later, six or seven transgender persons came to the police station demanding to meet the person who had left with the UP Police team,” he said.

Police said that the transgender persons were told that the UP Police were involved in the matter and Dabri police station had just provided assistance. “They became aggressive and obstructed police personnel on duty at the police station. Some of them also removed their clothes and started using very abusive language. Minimal force was used to disperse them,” Vardhan said.

The DCP added, “We are sensitive to the concerns of transgender people. I have asked my officers to engage them in constructive dialogue and make them understand that they should not take the law into their hands. We are working with them to allay their concerns.”

Chhetri said that the shelter home is run under a government scheme and if residents of the place are not safe, “Where will we go?”