As a child, Vidya Rajput from Raipur was in awe of the police. Their presence made her feel reassured. She also wondered if people like her who identify as transgendered could join the police force. It was through her efforts that Chhattisgarh became the first Indian state to have an entire cohort of trained transgender people joining its police force in March 2021.
Thirteen out of the 27 trans people who applied for the post of constable qualified in the first round, while two qualified in the later round. Director General of Chhattisgarh police Durgesh Awasthi is very happy about and confident in the abilities of his new recruits. He had been working with Rajput for several years for the betterment of the transgender community. She mentioned her childhood dream, ruing the fact that at 43 she was past the age of qualifying.
Talking about the condition of the recruits in training, Rajput shares how most of them were facing adversities in their personal life including evictions from rented houses, domestic violence, lack of resources and harassment of all kinds. "You need to realise their lives are full of negativity, isolation and loneliness. One fine day, I asked them to summon up the emotional reserves to make a go of this physically and mentally strenuous task," she explained.
She took it upon herself to become the source of strength for them, not letting them give up. The confidence she showed in them made the recruits work hard, too. They would study late into the nights for their written exams and train to the point of weariness for the physical tests.
Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel also congratulated the new recruits through social media.
रायपुर रेंज पुलिस आरक्षक भर्ती परीक्षा के परिणाम घोषित कर दिए गए हैं। इस परीक्षा में तृतीय लिंग समुदाय के 13 उम्मीदवारों का पुलिस आरक्षक पद पर चयन हुआ है और दो उम्मीदवार वेंटिंग लिस्ट में हैं।
— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) March 1, 2021
इस उपलब्धि के लिए सभी चयनित उम्मीदवारों को बधाई एवं ढेर सारी शुभकामनाएं। pic.twitter.com/n9G1loPXEP
Awasthi believesthat these recruits have the potential to become the best officers of Chhattisgarh police. "They are sensitive and have a high emotional quotient. Some of them have seen their friends from the community on the other side of the law," he said explaining his belief in the new recruits.
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