The recent ban on transgender beggars in Pune has sparked anger amongst the Community not only in Pune but in the nation.
A very known X page formerly called Twitter YesWeExist made a post regarding the same issue which has garnered attention amongst the youth Yes We Exist.
The Pune Police have strictly issued an order under Section 144 of CRPC. The issued order bans Transgenders from begging on streets, signals, or even visiting homes. The Pune police say that they decided to take this step as they have received several complaints in the past month regarding transgender beggars demanding money, especially on traffic junctions. However it was pointed out to many that this ban was only on the transgender section and not on the cis, and many wonder why.
According to the notification, the order will remain in effect from April 12 to May 11, 2024. The order which prohibits transgender individuals from freely begging around the city or at ceremonies and rituals without formal invitations, has stirred significant unrest within the community. Nobody likes to go begging on the streets, the community says that they have to step out in the streets to beg because there are no jobs available for the transgender community in Pune.
Annu a 37-year-old member of the trans community says that this is what she was taught since her birth by her guru and this is what she taught the next generation, there were never enough jobs for us. “Nobody likes to be begging on the street. People of the trans community have been doing it historically because they have simply not been given any other options for daily sustenance,” said Shameebha Patil, a trans activist from the Tritiyapanthi Hakka Adhikar Samiti.
She further explains how their families also disown them and are left to face the stigma an dthe prejudice, the transgender community in India have been doing this for years and this has been happening since the Peshwai in Pune, how can we put a stop to something engraved deep in history. She also adds that from entry into the higher education system or finding a decent housing system to availing work opportunities the trans community faces several challenges in Pune and now this new order has shaken the very basis of the community.
According to Patil, implementing horizontal reservation for transgender individuals in both education and employment stands as a crucial and enduring solution to address the rights of the community. More than 200 peoplehave written to the Police Commisioner of Pune opposing the transphobic, insensitive and discriminatory bagging ban imposed by CP Amitesh Kumar. Many netizens are arguing that how can y ou fierce one to change their livelihoods without providing them with alternatives.
“Being transgender is who you are, and the pain is what the outside does to you. The pain is what happens when you and the world go at each other's throats.”
Andrew Joseph White, Hell Followed With Us
