Jailed Transgender Woman Allegedly Raped By Police Personnel And Prisoners

Transgender woman raped in jail?: A murder accused transgender woman was allegedly raped by police personnel and some prisoners.

She was lodged in the Central Jail in Nagpur and revealed that the jail administration allegedly neglected the complaints filed by the survivor.

The transgender woman alleged rape and proceeded to move to the High Court. Based on the petition filed by the transgender woman, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court issued notices to the Jail Superintendent and the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and sought their replies by May 6. The court also ordered the Jail Superintendent to present the complainant before the Dhantoli police so that she may file an FIR against the accused.

The petition filed by the woman in the high court mentions the names of the accused people. The administration of the Nagpur Central Jail allegedly neglected the complaints of the woman. Following the incident, the transgender woman resorted to fast agitation. She had even approached the Sessions Court regarding the matter but no action was taken. After no action was taken, the woman finally filed a petition in the high court.

In Nagpur in June 2019, a transgender person had been attacked and murdered by a group of transgender people in a dispute between two groups. The groups had been fighting over establishing supremacy and the person that was attacked succumbed to the injuries. The people involved in the murder were arrested and lodged in Nagpur Central Jail.

According to a survey, 57 per cent of transgender people are afraid to go to the police when needed. Transgender people in prison are exposed to higher rates of abuse compared to their counterparts. They face physical and sexual assault by police personnel, staff members, and fellow inmates. 59 per cent of transgender women in male prisons were sexually assaulted while in jail while only 4 per cent of the male-identified population was. Transgender women in male prisons have to deal with the risk of forced prostitution by both staff and inmates.