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Transvestite Murdered in Delhi, DU student accused

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On 29 May 2018, a transvestite person was stabbed to death by a group of Delhi men, after an altercation with the victim. One of the men accused is a student at the University of Delhi.

Commission of the crime

The accused spotted a woman in a black salwar suit and red chunni and tried to stop her. Once they realised that the person is not a woman, the victim was stabbed in the heart, face, and head with a swiss knife. The crime was committed at about 2 a.m. in the night. The men asked the victim about their mehendi, anklets, and the attire, which led to an altercation as the victim tried to escape.

“This incident reveals the nature of crimes that are carried out against trans femme people. If the victim would have been cis-gender, she possibly would have been raped. The accused probably felt ‘lied to’ in a way and proceeded to commit such a horrible crime.” Bhavya, a student expressed her grief.

Persons identified

“The teams analysed the data of missing persons and identified the [person] as 22-year-old Kalu, who lived near the temple in Kalkaji,” DCP (south-east) Chinmoy Biswal reported to Times of India. The investigation further surfaced that the deceased used to dress up like Goddess Kali on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

As far as the accused go, the police apprehended the accused, Naveen, a first-year student at Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, from Govindpuri area. Six others including three juveniles were also apprehended. The other accused that have been identified are Aman Singh, 20, Mohit, 25, and Sajal Maheshwari, 19. Aman and Sajal are delivery boys while others are school dropouts.

Ruth Chawngthu, co-founder of Nazariya: A Grassroots LGBT-Straight Alliance, brought to light “how much hyper-masculinity is ingrained in our society, to a point where any sign of femininity is seen as an invitation for assault and harassment.” Crimes against women and trans-femme people are being committed at an alarming rate in the country, with no strong judicial mechanism in place.

Feature Image Credits: The Indian Express

Raabiya

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