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Bengaluru: A new dispute has broken out over access to the Sabarimala temple after 11 transgender devotees from Bengaluru said they were stopped and mistreated by Kerala Police at Pamba on Monday night. The incident has revived memories of 2018, when four transgender pilgrims were held back during the heated debate over women’s entry after the Supreme Court ruling.
The group said their trouble began late Saturday. Even though they showed Aadhaar cards and Karnataka-issued transgender identity cards, officers allegedly demanded far more personal proof. Police asked for “biological certificates”, birth records, pre-surgery photos, old identity papers and former names, saying regular IDs were not enough to confirm their gender.
When the group objected, an argument followed. They said they were then kept at the station until 10 am on Sunday and later taken to a hospital for what they called a forced medical check.
The devotees said the medical exam was humiliating. According to them, only one woman constable and a male sub-inspector accompanied them to meet a medical officer. There, they were told to remove their clothes for physical verification and were even asked to undress further for scanning. They protested because all the doctors present were men and no woman doctor was available, but claimed they were made to go through with it anyway.
They also said the doctor seemed unaware of gender-affirming procedures and even issued a referral to another hospital, saying he could not confirm their gender.
After this, the group was taken back to the Pamba police station, where officers allegedly pushed for another physical check. The devotees refused and demanded that all 11 be treated the same and released. In the end, nine were allowed to continue after producing extra papers and following the intervention of senior officials. Three chose to stop their pilgrimage in protest, removed their Sabarimala mala inside the station and returned without offering prayers.
“We were stopped around 9.30 pm on Saturday. Police asked for biological papers, old IDs and even pictures from before our surgeries. Those who had other documents were let through, the rest were not. It was insulting. Three of us removed our mala at the station and went back without darshan. They even questioned my brother’s gender and demanded his certificates. They looked at us like we did not belong,” one devotee said.
Transgender rights activist Akkai Padmashali sharply criticised the treatment. She called it “a violation of their identity and a violation of their basic right to enter a place of worship”. She said the group was denied food and rest, and faced constant pressure through the night. She added that the community would take up the matter with higher authorities and file a detailed complaint.
K Jayakumar, retired IAS officer overseeing Sabarimala security, told BM he had no information about the incident. He said transgender devotees are allowed to enter the shrine and that no rule blocks their access. He added that he would look into what happened, speak to the officers involved, review the protocol they followed and clear any confusion in how the rules are carried out.
