KATHMANDU, Jan 12:
Case-1
At around 2:00 am in late November, a 32-year old man gives a ride to four transgender people dressed as women from Thamel on his way back home assuming that the four were helpless to reach their destinations. Within a while, the hitch-hikers asked the driver to stop the car all of sudden in a lonely place near Teku.
Considering that it was the destination of the four people, the man stopped his car. But to his great disappointment, the four looted his golden necklace of 58.31 gms (five tola) and escaped the site in no time.
Case-2
Few weeks back, an old man while returning home from work around 1 am encountered a gang of three transgenders in Thamel. The three, dressed as girls, first talked, caressed and finally escaped the place with cash of Indian Rs 12,000 he was possessing. As it was a narrow and dark street in Thamel, his cry for help went unheeded.
Case-3
On the night of December 8, a group of transgender people encircled a Bauddha-bound 45- year-old man on the roadside near Sanchayakosh building in Thamel. They too, first, allegedly molested the man and one of them dressed as a female snatched his money from his pocket. He remained helpless even though few onlookers, drivers among others were still busy with their works in the tourist hub of the capital.
As soon as he realized that he was looted, few people extended their help. But he was unable to recognize the suspects.
The above cases represent increasing trend of involvement of LGBTIs (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) people in and around Thamel, in unlawful activities related to looting and snatching among others, according to metropolitan police offices.
In the past six months, the Metropolitan Police Circle Office, Lainchaur, made sole arrests of 25 LGBTIs under various offences related to looting, snatching and ill-treatment mainly from Thamel, Durbar Marg, Ratnapark, Bir Hospital and Lazimpat areas of Kathmandu.
“The number of arrests is estimated to be just 10 percent of the incidents that happen. But the victims are hesitant to report to the police 'in order to protect their social prestige', said DSP Sitaram Rijal, Chief of Metropolitan Police Circle Office, Lainchaur. The Metropolitan Police have taken up initiatives to curb such criminal activities in the city but the initiatives have not become that effective as they cannot continue legal procedures due to lack of complaints.
“Many victims complain police verbally but they do not like to formally register the complaints citing social prestige,” DSP Rijal added.
DSP Binod Ghimire, the in-charge of Metropolitan Police Circle Office, Janasewa, also has similar experience while dealing with cases related to snatching and looting by luring unsuspecting victims into sexual activities.
Few patients and their caretakers have also complained of being looted from near the Bir Hospital area. “We have filed cases against them and fined the alleged in many cases in the past few months,” he said.
At a time when the LGBTI people face several discrimination and violence, various organizations joining hands to empower the marginalized community and safeguarding their rights have become saddened by the growing trend of such activities carried out by the LGBTIs.
Blue Diamond Society (BDS), a leading organization working for the cause of the sexual minorities, has expressed concerns over such activities.
BDS President Pinky Gurung said, “We have dealt with several similar cases with the police but many cases were proved wrong.” She argued that the tendency of the society to blame the suppressed community for any wrongdoing might be the cause of increase in the number of such cases.
However, the BDS president didn't hesitate to accept that the police's claim that the unhealthy competition among the LGBTIs, no source of income due to 'social isolation' were few reasons behind their involvement in such crimes.
More than 900,000 LGBTIs are estimated to be in Nepal, majority of them residing in the Kathmandu Valley. And many of them have been living a prestigious life in the society despite very challenging and hostile traditional mindset of a large section of the society.
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