(Trigger Warning: This story contains descriptions of violence against transgender persons. Read discretion advised.)
On 7 October, two transgender women were allegedly subjected to brutal attack by goons in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district. They were out begging in Kalugumalai village when the goons allegedly abducted them, beat them up, removed their clothes, and chopped their hair off. The incident, however, came to the fore days later, on 13 October, when Dalit and transgender rights activist Grace Banu shared videos of the attack on social media. The accused were later arrested.
Then, on 16 October, just days later, two other trans women, who are sex workers, were assaulted one after the other in the state's Tiruchirappalli district, according to Banu.
"After one trans woman was attacked by goons, she was taken to a private hospital, where they refused her treatment. Soon, the other trans woman was also attacked at the same spot. The goons cut their hands, and one of the trans woman's lips was also sliced. They are now being treated at the Trichy government hospital," Banu tells The Quint.
The accused are on the run and the police have not filed cases yet, she added.