A Day after Pride, Bengaluru Police Arrests 160 Transgender People and Sends them to Beggars Colony

Speaking to Gaylaxy, Umesh told that he started receiving calls from yesterday morning about the arrests from various transgender people. After arresting them, Police asked them to call their friends or Gurus, and when they came to the police station to talk to the police and get them freed, they too were arrested and sent to the colony. Umesh alleged that many of those picked were not even begging when the police arrested them, with many just being arrested for being a transgender or Hijra.

According to theKarnataka Prohibition of Beggary Act, people found begging can be detained and sent to a beggars home. Such people can be released if an undertaking is given that they won’t be found begging again. A team of activists that went to talk to the Police Commissioner were told that the police was just enforcing the law. Police said that they will wait for the Executive Magistrate to pass an order later in the evening whether to release those detained or not.

To protest against the forcible arrests, the queer community has organised a massive protest in front of the Town Hall at4pm today. Activist Akkai Padmashali alleged that the police has been harassing transgenders and has been barging into houses to arrest them.