2 arrested on charge of assaulting transgender person

The police on Sunday (February 9) arrested two persons, said to be crew members of a lorry, on charges of assaulting a transgender person who was sitting outside the Palarivattom metro station early on Saturday morning (February 8).

Shamnaz, 36, of Mattancherry and Fazil, 34, of Palluruthy reportedly attacked the victim using a rod who was waiting for a friend outside the station, following which the victim suffered a fracture on a finger and also sustained leg injuries. Soon after the attack, the victim, who works as an assistant make-up artist, hired an auto-rickshaw and went straight to the Palarivattom police station. The victim told the police that one of the arrested persons while attacking shouted “You people have to die, and I will kill everybody.”

In the meantime, Minister for Social Justice and Higher Education R. Bindu is learnt to have directed the Director of Social Justice department and the District Social Justice officer to investigate the incident and submit a report. She said that action would be taken under the Transgender Act.