Woman constable wants sex change surgery, seeks permission from Railway Protection Force

In the absence of any established procedure for such a case, the Railway Protection Force - with whom the constable is employed - has written to the Maharashtra police, seeking details of the procedure followed in case of Constable Lalita Salve, who underwent reconstructive surgery in May.

A woman constable employed by the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) has sought permission and medical leave to undergo sex reassignment surgery. She is the first such applicant from the RPSF.

The woman constable, who has sought permission from RPF for a sex reassignment surgery, described her family as conservative and said it was a difficult task to tell her parents about the change. (Representative Photo) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In the absence of any established procedure for such a case, the agency has written to the Maharashtra police, seeking details of the procedure followed in case of Constable Lalita Salve, who underwent reconstructive surgery in May. “We have received a detailed response from the Maharashtra police about the Salve case which we have forwarded to Delhi,” said a senior RPF officer.

The RPF constable who has requested permission for sex reassignment surgery is currently posted in Delhi. “I am getting good support for my cause,” she told Hindustan Times. HT is not revealing her identity to protect her privacy.

The constable was recruited in 2015 and posted in the women’s contingent of the RPSF, which started soon after she joined the service. She described her family as conservative and said that she was brought up as a girl with two brothers. “It was a difficult task to tell my parents about the change,” she said. The constable has been following Salve’s case in the media.

“There are separate parameters for selecting male and female candidates,” said a senior Maharashtra police officer. “It’s tricky as someone is appointed after meeting the parameters set for females, but now wants to become a male,” said the officer.

The RPF constable has said that she is willing to re-take the tests once she has transitioned from female to male.