Mangaluru: Even as the central and state governments are implementing various measures to uplift the transgender community, incidents of police officials stripping transgender members in public and home guards demanding sexual favours from them has caused consternation among the public.Since a month-and-a-half, members of the transgender community are in a state of shock for repeated harassment by police. They say they haven’t been able to digest the atrocities by police in the city that for the first time gave them the right to cast votes by issuing voting IDs, enhanced their lives by imparting various skill development training courses and included them in various social services such as Swachh Mangaluru drive among others.Stripped in publicThough the first incident of police atrocity was recorded on the night of May 31, it has come to light only now. Roopa (name changed), a transgender member, who is a beautician, said the police made her and two other members strip in public to ascertain their sexual identity. “My friends (from the same community) and I were hanging out near a pub in the city around 10pm. Police, who arrived on the spot, abused us in foul language and later forced us to strip in public on the pretext of ascertaining our sexual identity. We had to give in to their demand and remove our clothes in public,” Roopa told TOI.The very next day, a home guard allegedly beat her up citing certain violations. However, Roopa alleged he demanded sexual favours from her and her subsequent refusal irked him. An audio of the home guard’s conversation with Roopa is available with TOI. Though police are said to have attempted to hush up the matter initially, they registered a case after the intervention of an NGO working for the privileges of the third gender community.A week ago, a transgender member who was awaiting her mother arriving from another city, was harassed by police. It was only after the mother arrived did the police let her go.DCP (Traffic and Crime) Uma Prashant said action had been taken against all those found guilty in the incident and police department was bound to protect the interests of the transgender community.Home guard suspendedDr Muralee Mohan Choontharu, district commandant of home guards, said the home guard in question was suspended not for this alleged act, but for other matters like disobedience. “We had received an oral complaint about his inappropriate behavior. But the person refused to give a written complaint, hence we could not take action pertaining to the matter of allegedly demanding sexual favours from the transgender member,” said Dr Choontharu.

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