Communal tensions flare among transgender groups in Indore over HIV allegations

Tensions have escalated between two groups of Hindu and Muslim transgenders in Indore, with the Hindu group levelling serious allegations of a so-called “transgender HIV jihad” against the Muslim group. They have accused them of deliberately infecting more than 60 Hindu transgenders with HIV by injecting them with contaminated needles.

Members of the Hindu transgender group claim they have submitted complaint letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Justice BR Gavai, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, Indore Collector Ashish Singh, and Indore Police Commissioner Santosh Kumar Singh.

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Following the complaint, Commissioner Singh has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. The SIT comprises Indore Zone-4 Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rishikesh Meena, Additional DCP Dishesh Agarwal, Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Aditya Patale, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Hemant Chauhan. The officials have initiated an investigation.

The leader of the Hindu group, Sapna Guru, alleged that some Muslim transgenders — including Naeem Ansari alias Payal and Farzana alias Seema Haji from Malegaon in Maharashtra — moved to Indore a few years ago. According to Sapna, these individuals have coerced several Hindu transgenders into converting to Islam.

Sapna further claimed that the Muslim transgenders deliberately injected at least 60 Hindu transgenders with HIV-infected needles. She alleged that the Muslim group is waging a targeted campaign — which she referred to as “transgender HIV jihad” — against those who refuse to convert or join their group.

Sapna stated that nearly a dozen Hindu transgenders are currently undergoing Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) for HIV at Maharaja Yeshwantrao Hospital (MYH) in Indore.

Contrarily, some members of the transgender community have accused Sapna Guru of orchestrating a conspiracy to create a Hindu-Muslim rift within the transgender population in Indore in order to gain control over various groups and camps.

Several transgenders told media persons in Indore on Saturday that Sapna Guru has performed the Hajj pilgrimage twice. They alleged that her recent statements are an attempt to dominate the transgender community in Indore by inciting communal divisions.