In a horrific incident, 25 transpersons were attacked, their clothes torn and houses damaged for refusing to pay illegal tax levied by their transwomen cartel head (known as Nayaks) and daring to leave the Jammat or Dayyar system.
A transwoman by the name of Suji refused to pay taxes to the Nayaks as she believed it was unfair that a non- governmental tax was being enforced on them and that the money they earned from their own labor went to the transwomen Nayaks. She was one of the first transwomen to take this step.
After Suji, ten more transwomen followed suit and decided to live an independent life. Another dozen more joined Suji and others in not paying the taxes and leaving the (trans) Jammat.
The ‘Hijra/Aravani/Thirunangai’ council/collective system is known by different names in different parts of the country. In Tamil Nadu, it is known as Jammat/Dayyar. These shared communities are close knit and include only transwomen (people born as biologically male whose gender identity or expression is of a woman). People under this system are essentially those who have run away from their families due to the unacceptance of their identities as transgender persons.
The Jammat is inherently a hierarchical set up. Every Jammat is headed by a Thirunangai Nayak. For the Hijra women to stay with the Jammat, they must pay a ‘Moorcha’, which is a tax. To pay that tax, the transwomen are forced to do sex work or beggary. Only after about a year, if the transwoman has paid her dues, the Nayak approves their sex reassignment surgery.
Due to lack of safety structures the transwomen find it almost impossible to escape this toxic system. With the absolute iron hand of the Nayaks who have an extremely well-connected network throughout the different (trans) Jammats, it is almost impossible for a transwoman to escape their claws.
Now, this collective group that is supposed to serve as protection to the community has become the very thing that oppresses members within the group.
In the hierarchy Mohana is at the top. Mohana along with Munna Nayak, Bavas and Sona control the lives of thousands of transwomen, violate their human rights and exploit them for personal gains. Mohana Nayak and her subordinates started to feel threatened because with the slightest hint of liberation and sense of empowerment amongst the trans-women, the whole system of these Dayyars and Jammats can come down. This was a threat to the existence of Nayaks, who benefited from atrocities they committed on the transwomen by forcing them into sex work and beggary.
On 21st September 2020, at around 9:00 AM, the four Nayaks – Munna Nayak, Bavas also known as Hasna Fatima, Sona and Mohana Nayak led a group of transwomen under them to destroy the house and property of the 25 women who dared to leave the Dayyar system.
In the video attached Mohana Nayak can be seen standing in a council she convened under her for the entire sub Nayaks. These sub Nayaks (less than 50 people) control the fate of thousands of trans-women in Tamil Nadu. Mohana Nayak (in white clothes) can be heard telling all sub Nayaks to incite violence if required, but to ensure the tax gets collected.
Two of the transwomen who tried to flee to the police station were attacked by the Nayak’s people and their clothes torn, right in front of the police who stood as spectators, one of the transpersons who got in touch with The Commune said. The police made both parties sit and ‘compromise’ and did not lodge a complaint.
On the other hand, the four Nayaks lodged a complaint that these 25 transwomen had extorted money from people and that they were giving a bad name to the community. However, Suji said that the charges were false and if there was any truth in it, they would be ready to face the charges. “Whatever it is we will face it, independently, all we want is our freedom to stay independent.”, Suji said.
Another transwoman who spoke to The Commune told that for a whole month till the first week of October, Mohana Nayak’s goons harassed and threatened the life of those transwomen. They threatened to strongarm them through their political influence and networks if they didn’t abide by the diktats of the Dayyar.
“We are Thirunangais from Trichy. In the name of Jammat they kept us here, and took money (tax) from us and kept us without any freedom. So, all of us came away from it. They said that we won’t let you live and that they would put false allegations of theft like chain snatching on us, which they did. We talked to the police and told them that we never do such stuff and you can catch us if we do. They came in here, broke everything and destroyed everything and created ruckus on the street. We dialed 100 and called the police, but nobody came. Now only 2 policemen came. Before their arrival they had broke everything and created ruckus on the streets. We are fighting for justice. We don’t want anybody to be as slaves to them. But because we came out they have unleashed violence on us by throwing stones, thrashing us, breaking our faces and pulling our hairs. Is anyone there for us? If not, we will all collectively commit suicide and the thirunangais across would be responsible for our plight if you don’t raise your voice. This is not fair. How many have died? Nobody has heard us. We should stop this. If you feel so too, please save us. There is no guarantee of our survival. Even now a hundred of them are waiting for us. Some 500 people are coming after us 20 people. Is this fair? Is nobody there for us to question this injustice? Group: Please speak for the truth. Help us. We don’t have anyone. We will all commit suicide.”
Ultimately the 25 transwomen had to flee the city to Andhra Pradesh because of the torture and harassment. They came back to Trichy on 12th October 2020.
Intersex activist Gopi Shankar Madurai who is also the southern region representative in the National Council for Transgender Persons said “These Nayaks have exploited and manipulated the system and by relying on the fact that it has been here for too long, they are trying justify it.”
Senior transwomen activist Oorvasi believes that this system of exploitation should immediately be stopped and that transpersons rights can only exist is this system is banned.
“The Police was of no help at all, they don’t understand the complex politics of all that happens withing this Dayyar system. It supports what the majority in the community supports and that majority always lies with the Nayaks, they don’t understand the politics of it.” Gopi Shankar Madurai told The Commune.
Gopi Shankar has spoken to Trichy Collector Sivarasu IAS on this issue and has urged him to take severe action on the same.
(Reported by: Ayera Choudhary, student of Law at Bennett University)