Transgenders from West Bengal looted a house in Silchar; Hijacked law and order, threatened Police

A group of 50 transgenders from West Bengal reached Silchar yesterday to claim the majority and settle the territorial dispute that broke between two groups. Another 50 arrived today to support the same group and tomorrow, more will reach through rail and airway. This is an extension of the scuffle that broke between Nandini Saha Hijra and Anjana Sarkar Hijra a couple of weeks back. For the freshers, Anjana Sarkar Hijra alleged that Nandini Saha Hijra kidnapped Misha Hijra and made an obscene video in order to exploit. She went on to lodge an FIR against Nandini Saha Hijra at Silchar Sadar Police Station.

Back then, Anjana Sarkar Hijra had the majority and they said, “Nandini Saha Hijra cannot even speak Assamese, she is a Bangladeshi who came here and trying to be the leader.” Anjana Sarkar overpowered Nandini Saha and the latter left Silchar. Sarkar celebrated victory. Yesterday, Nandini Saha reached Silchar along with a group of 50 other transgenders. To settle the dispute between two leaders came in a bigger leader – Pipasha Haldar Hizra supported by Manabi Haldar. Two of them follow their way or highway philosophy. They said they won’t get tested for COVID at Railway Station and they didn’t, they said they won’t listen to the Police, they didn’t, they said they will sit six instead of three in an autorickshaw and they did the same.

Today, they sat on auto-rickshaws and roamed the whole city. Collected donations from people, vegetables from vendors. Throughout the town, they roamed around searching for Anjana Sarkar and gang. They went to a house in Malugram, they also visited areas in Tarapur and went to Silchar Sadar Police station looking for their rivals. Eventually, Pipasa Haldar and gang raided the house of one – Sonali Hijra in Shivbari Lane, Ashram Road. They broke open the doors, turned the entire house upside down, looted it to the T and loaded all of it in a truck.

Meanwhile, the other group went to Silchar Sadar Police station to lodge another complaint against Nandini Saha. There they informed the Police officials that their residence is being vandalised in Ashram Road. Police officials reached the spot, but they were outnumbered. Pipasha Haldar, in front of a Police constable, asked her gang to write her name on the belongings they were looting. She started claiming all the goods to be her own.

DSP Kalyan Kumar Das rushed to the spot after IC Tarapur Police Outpost Ananda Mehdi, OC Silchar Sadar, IC Chengkuri Dhrubojyoti Bora failed to seize the truck. The group of transgenders refused to hand over the truck to the Police. Instead, they started blackmailing the DSP. The Police, however, restrained from imposing any stern action and went on to agree to all that Pipasha Haldar demanded. Eventually, Haldar agreed to keep the truck in the house of the president of a local organisation who intervened to broker peace.

Anjana Sarkar questioned how the Police could let the group of “dacoits” go. “What if, at night they murder us? Who will take the responsibility? Pipasha Haldar does not even care what the DSP says, will she listen to us? We are scared, we are petrified and we demand action. Our Hijra, Sonali’s house has been looted in front of the Police and the Police officials stood there and watched? Where is the law and order,” said Anjana Sarkar Hijra while at the Silchar Sadar.

They are supposed to sit tomorrow to settle the dispute amicably. However, Pipasha Haldar made it clear that her terms and conditions need to be followed and only then there can be a settlement. Nandini Saha’s argument is that Anjana Sarkar has insulted the Hijra community by “involving non-hijras” in the group for financial benefit. “Yes, I took one of Anjana Sarkar’s group members to my home. Yes, it is true that we have made a video but we have not assaulted anyone. We have made the video to prove that the person is not a Hijra but a grown-up capable man. Even, Sonali is not a hijra, we have all the proofs and that is why they are not coming in front of us,” said Nandini Saha. She even showed the video to the press and the DSP to prove her point.

Throughout the day, they kept calling Anjana Sarkar and the group to meet them but the latter avoided any such confrontation.

What is worth noting here is that Pipasha Haldar is a cult figure among transgenders. She is the leader in the East and has her connections at all levels. She said, “I have four houses in West Bengal and well-wishers all around the country. We will buy two more houses now in Silchar.” She is the boss of 40,000 transgenders and her boss is the supreme “Maa” who lives in Bihar. “DC, SP, DSP, Magistrate… I don’t care who you all are. Hijra’s problem will be solved by a Hijra and not by Police or court. They are murderers, they are calling people Bangladeshi and they are involving non-Hijras in the community. We want to meet them and talk it out. We have no other demands and we won’t listen to anyone else. Bring CRPF or whatever force you might have, anything happens to me and 40000 hijras will be here to stand by my side,” at high baritone, Haldar said this to DSP Das.

Airport, Station, from tomorrow, our people will keep coming said Pipasha Haldar before leaving the Ashram Road, again, according to her terms and conditions.