Transwoman Activist First To Contest Kerala Election, Found Dead

Anannyah Kumari Alex: A transwoman activist in Kerala, who was the first candidate from her community to file nomination for the Assembly elections this year, was reportedly found dead on Tuesday in an apartment in Kochi. The police said that she is suspected to have died by suicide.

Anannyah Kumari Alex, who hails from Peruman in the Kollam district, was a celebrity make-up artist, radio jockey and stage show anchor. The 28-year-old filed nomination papers as a candidate for the Democratic Social Justice Party (DSJP) from the Vengara constituency in Malappuram district in the Assembly elections in April.

According to The Indian Express, Alex withdrew her nomination a day before the polling after being allegedly mentally tortured and receiving death threats from leaders of her own party which nominated her. Since the last day for withdrawal of nominations ended by then, the transwoman activist issued an appeal publicly to urge people not to vote for the DSJP.

"The DSJP leaders forced me to speak poorly of UDF candidate PK Kunhalikutty and to criticise the LDF government," Alex said.

Anannyah Kumari Alex went on to claimed that the party leaders forced her to “observe pardah during the election campaign”.

She was nominated against senior leader PK Kunhalikutty of the Indian Union Muslim League representing the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate P Jiji representing the Left Democratic Front (LDF).

Alex claimed that the DSJP leader used her for their plans which she didn't understand earlier. Moreover, she accused them of threatening to kill her when she opposed them. In addition, she alleged that they portrayed her as "a prostitute and insulted" her.

Reportedly, Anannyah Kumari Alex also raised allegations of negligence against a doctor who had performed a sex-reassignment surgery in 2020. She complained of not being able to work due to severe physical pain even after a year of the surgery.