PESHAWAR: A transgender person, 18, has approached police here with a complaint that nine people kidnapped and raped ‘her’.

The alleged victim, a resident of Imamia Colony locality, approached the Gulbahar police station on Monday night. However, the police did not register an FIR and sent the complainant for a medical examination, while the complaint was entered in the police diary.

The police said that three suspects, including Salman, Hasan and Ayaz Jalal, had been identified by name in the blotter. The alleged victim told mediapersons that recently ‘she’ had participated in protests against attacks on two other transgender persons, adding that on Monday ‘she’ was forcibly taken away by nine people and raped.

Taimur Kamal, a transgender rights activist, told this correspondent that a gang was involved in attacks on transgender persons in Peshawar, which used to take them to dance parties and sexually abuse them. He said that police did not register an FIR and sent the alleged transgender victim for medical examination. He said that police and the suspects were forcing the transgender persons for out-of-court settlement.

When contacted, an official of Gulbahar police station said that they did not register an FIR as transgender persons after falling out with their friends usually levelled such allegations against them.

“It is a routine matter and that is why medical examination was not carried out,” he said. He said that efforts were underway for a patch up between the two sides.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2018