The Bihar government has appointed a transgender person Manvi Madhu Kashyap as a Sub- Inspector of Police for the first time in the state.
Speaking to the media, Kashyap thanked the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the opportunity. “I would like to thank the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Rehman Sir, Garima Ma’am and all the other people who helped me reach here today. I have struggled a lot in life. For a transgender to come here is very difficult and I have struggled a lot to come here. I am very happy that I am finally at this stage of life,” she said.
The newly appointed Sub-inspector of police also spoke about not getting admission to other institutes because many of them believed that Kashyap would spoil the environment. She said, “Initially, no other institutes were ready to give me admission and denied saying that I would hamper the environment in their institute. Despite insisting, they denied me several times. After getting admission to this institution, my life improved drastically. I got help from the government as well, and hence I have been able to reach here.”
In a conversation with news agency ANI, Kashyap talked about her family being supportive. “My family supported me a lot. My parents, brothers and sisters stayed with me in the tough days. They are the reason why I am sitting here.” Further, she said “Rehman sir, who helped me get admission in this institute has formed history today. He has proved that a teacher is the biggest gift. I owe all my wins in this training period to him,” she added.
“It is like a dream come true for me. I am incredibly grateful for each and every person who has been there with me,” she told PTI.
But her journey does not stop here. “I want to visit my village in a police uniform to convey the message that one can achieve anything through hard work and dedication,” said Kashyap.
According to the 2011 Census, the total number of transgender people in Bihar is 40,827.
On June 12, as a win for the transgender community in the country, the Social Welfare Department of Tripura requested all District Magistrates to constitute the transgender protection cells that will act as grievance redressal centres for the people belonging to the transgender community.
Reshma, founder secretary of Bihar-based NGO Dostanasafar, said, “Madhu’s success is a matter of celebration for the transgender community.” “But, I must say that the other two transgender persons who have also been selected for the same post, must come forward and raise their voice for the betterment of the community. They (the other two) should also celebrate it,” said Prasad, a member of the National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP) in Delhi.
The NCTP, established in 2020 under the provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, is the statutory body of the government of India, generally concerned with advising the government on all policy matters affecting transgenders.
