Mamata govt in Bengal tells Kolkata police to recruit transgenders for civic police volunteer force

Whether it be new initiatives such as  helplines for transgenders or the formation of a  special development board to address their issues to  appointing a transgender head of a college, the West Bengal government has taken special provisions to ensure the status upgrade of transgenders in the state. [caption id=“attachment_2441748” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Image courtesy: AFP[/caption] According to this Indian Express report, the West Bengal government has asked the Kolkata Police to begin recruitment of transgenders into the Civic Police Volunteer Force (CPVC). This move is seen to be a way to end the pre existing “stigma” and “discrimination” against the community. “The prime issue that we face is that people don’t have respect for the transgender community. But if they are incorporated as volunteers in the civic police force, then it will gradually allow people to imagine them in different roles,” State minister for women and child development, Shashi Panja said to Express. In July this year,  speaking to PTI, Panja earlier had said that emphasis would be on sensitisation and awareness programmes involving all stakeholders, including the police, to tackle the community’s medical problems, educational facilities and security challenges. Panja had also said that the state government was thinking about setting up Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) units in specialised government hospitals for the benefit of this community. The Supreme Court already recognised transgenders as third gender while directing the government to extend reservation to them in the Backward Classes category in jobs and education and provide them with healthcare. With PTI inputs