Delhi HC provides police protection to NRI transgender rescued from Agra
New Delhi: Coming to the rescue of a US-based NRI transgender on Friday, Delhi High Court has provided her police protection after she alleged she was forcibly brought to India by her parents to be reformed and taught to be "a proper girl".
Justice Siddharth Mridul also issued notice to Delhi Police and her parents seeking their reply on her plea seeking protection from harassment, intimidation and coercion by her family.
In her plea, the 18-year old has alleged that her father, who is an influential businessman with deep roots in Uttar Pradesh (UP), had activated the state machinery to deprive her of her fundamental rights to life, liberty and education by trying to coerce her to get married to a man of their choice.
She also sought protection for Delhi-based LGBT activists who had helped her reach Delhi, as her parents registered a false First Information Report of kidnapping against them.
After a hearing, the court sought the UP Resident Commissioner's response on the allegations before October 5, the next date of hearing. The counsel for Delhi Police has also assured the court that "adequate protection" would be provided to her.
The judge directed that the beat constable of the area, where she is staying with some activists, should be sensitized in this regard.
According to the girl, four months ago, the girl had a trivial argument with her mother over her hairstyle. When her mother confiscated her mobile phone, she discovered that her daughter had a girlfriend.
The petition said the parents first indulged in verbal and physical violence to "fix" her. When that did not work, they brought her to India on the pretext of visiting her ailing grandmother on July 24, to return on August 5.
Once here, the parents took away her passport and Green Card and told her that she would stay in India and "learn to be a proper girl", the plea said.
The petition said that in July, the girl, who was studying neurobiology at the University of California, was "forcibly" enrolled at Dayalbagh Educational Institute in Agra and told to "keep her mouth shut" about her gender preference and sexual orientation.
