“The 2023 Republic Day parade in Chhattisgarh saw for the first time participation from nine transgender people. These participants are a part of the Bastar Fighter Force, a police unit formed to fight the Naxalite movement. Their inclusion is a big win for us,” says Vidya Rajput.
Since 2010, Rajput, a transgender woman from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, has strived to increase inclusion of the community and ensure access to employment, healthcare, social security and other necessities. “As per the 2011 Census, there are more than 0.48 million transgender people in the country. But our existence is a question mark. We see neglect and humilia-tion. We cannot get jobs, and are often pushed into begging or sex work,” she says.
Rajput was born in Kondagaon, Chhattisgarh and assigned male at birth. After she began identifying as a transgender woman, her family struggled with the transition. So she moved to Raipur to find her community. In 2010, some associates took Rajput to a park where transgender people met to share stories and advice. “We learned about HIV and 30 of us decided to get tested together; 25 tested HIV-positive. It was devastating,” recalls Rajput. It was then that she realised the need for a forum for transgender people to highlight their challenges among themselves and to spread awareness among the public.
The forum began with regular meetings for transgender people to come together. In 2012, Rajput established the Chhattisgarh Mitwa Sankalp Samiti. That year, the group held a sports tournament for transgender people. “We then went on to hold several other events like honouring nurses and campaigns to save trees. It gave us confidence to change the way we see ourselves and others see us,” says Rajput.
In 2014, the Supreme Court recognised people of the “third gender” and affirmed that they held fundamental rights. With this, began a new fight. “We needed identity cards and access to government schemes. For this, it was necessary to make the government system-sensitive,” says Rajput. Members of the Samiti began meeting public officials and ministers. In October 2014, Chhattisgarh established a Third Gender Welfare Board. Special community buildings for transgender people were also built in 2016-19.
Then in 2021, about 13 transgender people were recruited for the first time in the state police force. “This was a big deal. We had to convince people to prepare for the examination. They were given special tuition to pass through the many rounds,” says Rajput. The Samiti has also helped transgender people get jobs with the municipal board, the private sector, or arrange loans to set up their own small business. Most activities were funded by development grants.
“Through all of this, we have now become accepted members of the mainstream community,” says Rajput, now a part of the Chhattisgarh Third Gender Welfare Board. But there is still a need for reservation in jobs and acceptance in social practices, such as marriage. Hence, the fight continues.
This was first published in the 16-31 March, 2025 print edition of Down To Earth