Sipu Jha
INDORE: About 24 transgenders consumed floor cleaner in an apparent mass suicide bid at Nandlalpura dera during a protest on Wednesday night. They were rushed to MY Hospital, where doctors claimed they were out of danger.It was not clear what the motive behind the act was, but the protest erupted hours after a case of assault and criminal intimidation was registered against a man who claimed to be a journalist and allegedly forced himself on a trans person. Police couldn’t confirm why the transgenders protested till last reports.The transgenders later gathered outside MY Hospital, where a group of them again attempted suicide by pouring inflammable substances over themselves. Hundreds of transgenders protest at MYH, NandlalpuraEven a few journalists, including ToI’s photojournalist Praveen Barnale, were doused with kerosene during the chaotic events as the transgenders poured the inflammable liquid on themselves in a mass self-immolation attempt.“We received inputs about a commotion at the transgenders’ dera (gathering) in Nandlalpura, following which a team was rushed to the spot. Twenty-four members of the transgender community consumed a suspicious substance, which appeared to be a floor cleaner. They were rushed to the hospital in ambulances and police vehicles, where their condition was stated to be stable. We are yet to record statements of the victims, after which the reason behind this will be clear,” DCP Anand Kaldagi told ToI.Preliminary reports suggest that the protests stemmed from a complex sequence of events that started with a clash between two transgender communities. This led to allegations of religious conversions as well an accusation against the self-proclaimed journalist that sought sexual favours from a trans person.DCP Kaldagi, however, said the protest had nothing to do with that incident. However, the exact cause could not be ascertained as the transgenders turned their ire on media persons.CCTV footage purportedly showing the transgenders sitting in a room and consuming the floor cleaner together also emerged, and later went viral on social media. The police released a press note saying the reasons behind the protest or the suicide attempts haven’t been determined yet. “All affected persons were admitted to MY Hospital, where they are receiving treatment under the close supervision of both police and health officials. All senior officials, including Additional DCP Dishesh Agarwal and ACP (Sanyogitaganj), were present at the site, and the Chief Medical and Health Officer was instructed to ensure proper medical care for everyone,” the release stated.It added that the district and police administrations were put on high alert following the incident. Collector Shivam Verma was closely monitoring the situation and taking constant updates. SDM Pradeep Soni, Tehsildar, CMHO Dr Hasani, and senior doctors at MY Hospital were overseeing and monitoring the treatment of all patients.Meanwhile, the protest by transgenders continued till late night, and hundreds of them gathered at Nandlalpura and at MY Hospital, staging a demonstration and raising slogans. They also attacked media persons who tried to approach them.Videos of messages from the transgender community across the country, including UP, suggested that they were planning to reach Indore to support the agitation.The dispute stemmed from a long-running clash over property and leadership between two factions of the transgender community. The factions led by Payal Guru and Seema Guru clashed multiple times in recent months over the control of leadership. To address the ongoing tension, Police Commissioner Santosh Singh, earlier, constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Initially, the team was headed by DCP Rishikesh Meena, but following his transfer, the investigation stalled. Recently, members of both factions accused each other of misconduct, and the group even staged a protest outside the Annapurna police station.
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