Group of homophobic men attack Transgenders at Durga Puja carnival in City Center
By Firstdespatch Desk Oct 10, 2022
Agartala, 10 Oct (FD) A group transgender persons were insulted and attacked by a group of about 40 intolerant men in Agartala City centre on Friday last here showing disrespect to third gender.
Sneha Gupta Roy, the president of Swabhiman (NGO for the rights of LGBTQ+ community) has condemned the incident and also filed an FIR at the West Agartala police station here demanding stringent and exemplary punishment against the offenders.
The incident occurred a month after the first pride parade in the state was organized here in September last.
Trouble started when Abhijit and his friends were assaulted in the midst of thousands of bystanders on Friday. Abhijit and friends went to city centre on the day of the carnival like others, when a group of women led by a certain Dipa Das threw snide remarks and Transgender slurs at them. Abhijit stood for his dignity and engaged in a heated argument with the women. Overpowered by the people of third gender, the women retreated only to return with a gang of 40 men who attacked the former party, Sneha Gupta Roy said.
She also said a woman repeatedly hit Abhijit with her shoe.
Gupta said that the issue happened on Friday but it went under covers due to the humdrums of the carnival event.
A volunteer Debasmita Paul shot the entire incident where Abhijit and his friends were manhandled by the attackers in public view. Among the perpetrators, a Salim Khan caught the volunteer recording the incident only to snatch the phone and return it later.
The president of Swabhiman said that the community will gather in front of the Police Station on Monday to seek justice against those perpetrators.
Gender and sexuality has always been a universal line of spectrum yet humans have always found it harder to accept anyone outside the preconceived sexual binary. While the Pride month is celebrated in June globally, the verdict of Supreme Court in legalizing homosexuality in India marks the date of September 6, 2018 in achieving dignity and equality for many Indians. Within a month from the historic date, reports of such homophobic event are tragic indeed. Abhijit and his friends are still shocked with the trauma of this horrible incident and refuse to speak to the media. FD DM