CHENNAI: South region representative of the National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP) Gopi Shankar has accused a team of police and revenue officials of verbally abusing and physically harassing xem during an inspection at an eatery in Mamallapuram on Saturday. Xe (subject), xem (object), and xir (possession) are Gopi’s pronouns.
However, Chengalpattu Collector Rahul Nandh refuted the allegation and said that Gopi was seen sitting with xir friends without following safety protocols (masks and physical distancing) and was just told to leave the premises. “It was Gopi who threatened the officers. The eatery owner and Gopi have been booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act and relevant sections of the Criminal Procedure Code. There was no abuse and the FIR was registered based on a proper investigation,” the official told The New Indian Express.
Gopi said that a guest house attached to the eatery was declared as one of xir residences to the Ministry of Social Justice after xe shifted to Mamallapuram, a decision taken for the convenience of carrying out duties as an NCTP representative. “Around 20 people from transgender community had gathered for a grievance meeting in the eatery on Saturday. But the meeting was interrupted by insensitive officials. We were treated like cattle and asked to vacate the premises. They were not willing to hear what we had to say. Mamallapuram police inspector kept his hand on my chest and pushed me. The teams commented about the clothes I was wearing. It was only after I contacted a few officials their attitude changed,” Gopi said.
Refuting the allegations, the inspector told The New Indian Express that he did not push Gopi Shankar. “It was a routine inspection carried out in the backdrop of the pandemic,” he added. Claiming that this “targeted attack” was due to xir whistle-blowing activities, including reporting of drug use in Mamallapuram, Gopi said xe would take the issue to the notice of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
Gopi, a Madurai-based intersex activist, was appointed by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as one of the five representatives of the transgender community to the NCTP. Xe represents States of TN, AP, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala, and the southern Union Territories. Gopi had contested the Tamil Nadu Assembly election in 2016, conducted Asia’s first gender-queer pride parade in Madurai, and also set up India’s first helpline for LGBTQI+ at a non-metropolitan city (Madurai).