Assam Transgenders Dropped from NRC List in a Fix, Community to Move to Supreme Court on August 16

Assam Transgenders Dropped from NRC List in a Fix, Community to Move to Supreme Court on August 16

Guwahati: At a time when the people from the entire state are running across NRC Seva kendras to get their names enlisted in the Citizen’s list, transgenders in Assam are particularly finding it difficult to enroll themselves in the NRC.

According to the transgender people in Assam, their woes have increased many-fold due to the NRC process since their families have disowned them long ago. They are now finding themselves in a fix over acquiring legacy documents.

For Dipika 31, (name changed) who is a transgender residing in Guwahati did not find her name in the draft NRC list and many like her are sharing the same fate.

While the state government is occupied with the claims and objection phase of the NRC, the transgender community in the Assam expressed that they feel to have been left out of the NRC.

The transgender community now feels that their ultimate hope is the Supreme Court and they are planning to file a petition seeking their inclusion in the Assam NRC on August 16. While there is no such special provision in the NRC process to include their names without a proper legacy data, their hope now lies on the verdict of the Supreme Court.

Deepika told that she left the home of her parents who live in Silchar almost 13 years back due to constant taunts and mental harresment from the locals and her family. She now resides win Guwahati’s Lachit Nagar area with a group of other transgender who share the same way of life. Her room-mate and friend, Bidya and Dipak who are also transgender could not trace their names in both the NRC Drafts.

Talking to mediapersons, Dipika said, "When I left my family back in silchar I was 15 and since then I have met my family once due to this NRC process. Though they initially said that they would do the needful, but later I could not find my name on both the NRC drafts.”

"There are hundreds like me who could not provide legacy linkage because our families have disowned us, but we are not Bangladeshis; this is our motherland, so the government should not turn a blind eye."

Amid such confusions and dillydally of the government, the transgender community in Assam feel that they would lose their identity and citizenship in Assam if something concrete is not done for them.

According to 2011 census report, there are 11,374 transgender people in Assam and might have increased approximately to 20,000 by now.

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