The Andhra Pradesh police have arrested four men in Visakhapatnam under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 for harassing a transgender woman. This is reportedly the first time a person has been booked under the aforementioned Act. As per reports, on June 8, a 26-year-old Dalit trans woman got into a share auto-rickshaw from the Jagadamba station to Hanumanthavaka, when three men were already on board. After she got into the auto, the men allegedly sexually harassed her, forcing her to get down at Pedagadili junction.
As she was getting down, she was reportedly assaulted further. The trans woman’s complaint alleged that the three men and the auto driver hit her on her head at that time. Speaking to the media, Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Trivikram Varma said that the trans woman had filed a complaint against the men and the auto driver and the police registered a case under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019.
The police arrested the accused and they have been identified as Vasupalli Srinivasu (33), Hanish Kumar (26), Satish Kumar (30), and Manoj Kumar (23). India Today reported that the men were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including Sections 354 (assaulting a woman) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) read with 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), and Section 18 (d) (endangering life and safety) in the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed in 2019 in the Lok Sabha, with the stated objective of protecting the rights of trans persons and ensuring their welfare. The law was introduced in July 2019 by the Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot.