Some Hijras Extorted Rs 51,000 From Us in the Name of Tradition

I have always been a supporter of LGBTQ rights, but on Wednesday, I was at the receiving end of an incident which left me shocked and confused.

(Photo: The Quint)

Over the years, we have seen various examples of the special place held by the hijra community in our society, especially on occasions like weddings and childbirth. Also, the trials and tribulations faced by the community are indeed many.

While I have always been a supporter of LGBTQ rights, on Wednesday, 25 July, an incident left me extremely disturbed and shocked.

A gang of people vandalised our home and misbehaved with my family, demanding Rs 51,000. We weren't sure how to respond as they wouldn’t settle for anything less than that, and because we respected the fact that they were from the hijra community – a community that fights prejudices in their daily life. But the incident made us realise that some people from the community take advantage and extort people under the garb of tradition.

What began as a demand for money, quickly turned into threats, abuses, stripping, groping and biting.

As we reached home from our honeymoon, our suitcases still in hand, my husband and I found a group of people waiting at right outside our home in Vasant Kunj, Delhi.

A group of approximately 10 well-built people, who introduced themselves as hijras, arrived in a Maruti Eeco along with a driver just a little before us that morning.

The hijras were well dressed, they demanded Rs 51,000 from us and were not willing to accept anything short of Rs 51,000.

For us Rs 51,000 was too big an amount to merely donate. Besides, when people ask for money they should leave it to those donating to decide what amount they are comfortable with. We were not comfortable with giving so much of money, nor had as much at home. Having said that, my family members ( my husband, my husband's elder and younger brothers) and I stood in our verandah, talking to the group respectfully, folding our hands, and even offering them a decent amount as shagun, since offering money to hijras during a wedding was a social custom.

The group tried to break down our main door (left). My brother-in-law’s broken glasses (Right)(Photo: The Quint)

However, the group turned aggressive, pressurising us to cough up Rs 51,000. They created a ruckus, removed their clothes and stripped to their underwear – all the while hurling lewd abuses – and even attempted to grope my brother-in-law.

When we tried to pacify them, they became rather violent, started cursing me that my husband would leave me in two years; that I will never have a male child, unless we fulfilled their demand by paying them a sum of Rs 51,000, and suddenly before we realised what was happening, one of them bit my elder brother-in-law.

Suddenly one of them even bit my brother-in-law. (Photo: The Quint)

At this point, the commotion was audible to our neighbours and they stepped out to figure what was happening, although they were afraid to intervene. Even security guards in the colony did not dare to step forward to help us despite the noises coming from our house.

The leader of the hijra gang started banging her head on the front door of the house, and the gang attempted to barge into our house. Helpless and shocked, we called Delhi Police on 100, by which time, the gang of hijras had already broken our front door and attacked my younger brother-in-law, leaving him with scratches on the face and having broken his spectacles, before fleeing away.

I cannot describe the horror experienced by us, and the shock of being assaulted by such a gang of people at our home.

Visiting card left behind the group. (Photo: The Quint)

After this experience, I began questioning the law and order in today's times, especially when it comes to aggression in the name of community rituals.

However, I have come to understand, that what we faced was not just any community, but a gang of people misusing these customs to extort large sums of money from people. They use psychological and physical intimidation as weapons – ‘fulfil our demand or face the consequence’.

The gang also left a printed visiting card that claims to belong to the 'owner' of the said residential area. This tall claim that there is a gang that 'owns' this residential area and even clearly threatens residents if they give money to any other hijra outside this group, is worrying.

The gang also left a printed visiting card that claims to be the ‘owner’ of the said residential area(Photo: The Quint)

Even though we have filed a police complaint, the problem seems much deeper. Till the point such groups are active, extorting money on special occasions, physically and mentally harassing people, the social stigma that the rest of the community is fighting will continue.

Unfortunately, such incidents are damaging as they create 'fear' towards other genders and marginalise other innocent members of the community who anyway have enough struggles to deal with.

(This is an anonymous blog. The writer does not wish to reveal her identity.)