The Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have informed the Union Home Ministry that they are ready to recruit transgender people as Assistant Commandants in their ranks. The forces were responding to a letter by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Last week, MHA had written to the Central Armed Police Forces, comprising of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) seeking their views regarding recruitment of transgender people to officer cadre post of assistant commandants., ahead of the recruitment examinations that are to be held in December.
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was by the Parliament in December 2019, and it mandates that no establishment shall discriminate against transgender persons in matters relating to employment, recruitment, promotion, and other related issues. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had then written a letter in April 2020 to all central government departments asking them to have a separate category for transgender people in recruitment for all posts. Following this, the Union Home Ministry had sough the comments of CAPF.
While BSF, CRPF and SSB have told MHA that they will recruit trans people, ITBP and CISF are yet to respond to the letter. “The CRPF already has a gender-neutral work environment. In view of impending policy guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), we shall make it further compatible as per the need,” director general A P Maheshwari said.