ASSAM: TRANSGENDERS FEAR EXCLUSION FROM NRC LIST

14 July 2018:

Who will decide the fate of the transgenders?

As the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is being updated in Assam to detect illegal immigrants, the state’s transgender community has expressed apprehension over possible exclusion of the names of its members from the final NRC draft.

Swati Bidhan Baruah, a transgender activist, said the worry stemmed from neglect of the transgenders by their families. She feared that the names of some 15,000-20,000 transgenders would be excluded from the NRC final list.

“Transgenders are considered as curse by their family members. As a result, they are chased away from their homes and left abandoned. This is the reason why a whole lot of them do not have documents to prove they are citizens of the country,” Swati said.

She said another difficulty being faced by transgenders was the absence of any slot for the community in NRC application form.

“This had left many transgenders in a state of confusion.  The whole community is in a dilemma and fear. It hopes that NRC authorities will solve the problem of the community,” Swati said.

According to reports, the transgender community is planning to move the Supreme Court seeking relief.

Meanwhile, Speaking to InsideNe NRC State Co-ordinator Prateek Hajela said, “NRC is a legal process. It has to be worked out legally and everybody has to be treated equally”.