Transwoman Aradhana has appealed to the district administration for the mercy killing of her for going to the brink of poverty as she could not get a job even after various struggles and passing the police examination in 2017.
The 28-year-old hails from the Theni district. Getting herself separated from her parents after realising she’s a transwoman at the age of 13, she studied in Chennai on her own initiative by doing temporary work available in the city, prepared for various competitive examinations with the dream of joining a government job.
Owing to her high attachment to the police job, she has been doing daily physical training and written test training to work in the police department. Apparently, in the police examination conducted by the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board in 2017, her application was rejected, stating she’s transgender.
Aradhana approached the court and has received an application from the court and wrote the exam. But her results were withheld when they were released. Aradhana again approached the court and obtained the results of the examination, where she has passed the exam.
Eventually, denied getting a job in the police department despite clearing the exam, a petition was filed in the Madras High Court, seeking an order to allot a job for her. On hearing her petition, the high court ordered that a separate post be allotted to transwomen in the Tamil Nadu Police department. Even after four years of court’s order, a police job remained a dream for Aradhana. Subsequently, Aradhana also lamented that her petition to the Theni District Collector’s Office, the District Superintendent’s Office, the Chief Minister’s Office and many other political party legislators was of no use. Depressed after a fierce struggle, she recently petitioned at the Theni District Collector’s Office for mercy killing her, which caused a stir. Nevertheless, it is said that the district administration could not intervene as her case was pending in the court and an attempt would be made to grant her appointment on humanitarian grounds.
Aradhana said, “The denial of opportunities to the transgender community in the society is a continuum. There are many difficulties that transgender people had to face. My goal from an early age was to join the police force. I remained steadfast in my goal even after I felt changes in me at 13.”
“I continued to practice and strive for it without giving up on my goal even after being constantly excluded by the community and family. I have been facing multiple problems right since getting the Uniformed Services Recruitment Board application. There are no words to describe a transgender’s struggle to correct any errors in the documents. Making efforts for transgender people like me is a daunting task. Currently, my grandmother and I live alone in a rented house in the city. To earn my daily living, I indulge in small jobs until I get my dream job because I’m committed to my goal,” said Aradhana.
“Recently, I have gone to the brink of poverty, where I find no way to run the family. Having lived with the idea of wanting to succeed and progress in life, I appealed to the district administration for mercy killing me as I was denied opportunities. What hurts me is, even after the court’s order, I was denied getting the job. I urge the Tamil Nadu government to provide me with a job in the Tamil Nadu police force as soon as possible,” Aradhana appealed.
Perhaps, Tamil Nadu’s first transwoman SI Prithika Yashini remains a role model for many in her community. Ignoring the taunts, during July 2021, transwoman Shivanya from Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvannamalai district had fulfilled her long-cherished dream to become a police SI.
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