A family in Thiruvananthapuram district, including a 27-year-old trans man and his 32-year-old sister, have alleged that they were attacked by a group of men in the region while selling fruits by the roadside. Anu, the trans man who was attacked has sustained injuries in his mouth and head, and has now approached the Vilapilshala police with a complaint.
It was on Saturday that a group of men who work in a mechanic workshop near Pallimukku in Thiruvananthapuram, allegedly attacked the duo. The family alleged that the owner of the mechanic shop, had parked his vehicle in front of the cart n which they had kept the fruits. Apparently, it was on questioning this that the man started attacking the family allegedly with the help of other workers in the workshop.
Talking to TNM Yemuna says that they had asked the man cordially to move the vehicle. “But he started to shout all of a sudden and started use abusive words. He called his workers and thrashed our things saying he constructed his workplace spending lakhs and that he will at once throw off our fruit truck, which was near it,” Yamuna says.
Yemuna says that the group use the weighing scale to hit Anu. “He lost three teeth and is under treatment now. There is also a bruise at the back of his head,” Yemuna says as Anu could not speak to the reporter due to the injury in his mouth.
Yemuna adds that the group thrashed her and even tore her dress during the attack. The family lives in a rented house at Peyad in Thiruvananthapuram and says that selling fruits on the street is their sole income.
Though the family was about to file a police complaint on Saturday itself, they were allegedly approached by Edwin George, Congress party's candidate in theupcoming local body polls, and he convinced the family for a settlement.
“He came with the Gopan and convinced us for a settlement saying that they will provide us medical expenses and give compensation on damages. They tried to convince us that it could take years for the matter to settle in court if we filed a complaint. They gave us Rs 10,000 that day for the damages, but after that when we contacted them from hospital to pay bills, they started ignoring our calls,” Yemuna says.
Both Anu and Yemuna had tried to meet the person who allegedly attacked them, but they say he avoided them. “He got in the car and left when he saw us. Anu was ridiculed by the group of men who worked in the workshop when we went there asking for its owner,” Yamuna adds.
Following this, on Wednesday, Anu filed a complaint with the Vilappilsala police about the incidents. Vilappilsala police confirmed to TNM that the siblings had approached the police, and said the matter is under investigation. “We will register a case after a primary probe,” said an official of the station.
It was last month that a trans woman in Kochi who sold biriyani on the wayside, was similarly attacked by a man. The issue came out after Sajana put an emotional video in social media, complaining that she was not being allowed to work.