Beed cop Lalita Salve gets nod, and leave for sex reassignment surgery

Lalita Salve outside Bombay High Court last year

Nearly two months after CM Devendra Fadnavis cleared a file, on March 21, permitting the constable from Beed to undergo a gender reassignment surgery, her long wait has finally come to an end. Salve received an official order copy from the office of Beed SP that says, "Your application for gender reassignment is accepted; you are now permitted [to go ahead with it]." Salve applied for leave, and that too was cleared by the department.

The Majalgaon police constable's roller-coaster of a journey is finally coming to a halt, one through which she never stopped fighting, and ran to and fro from every official concerned, requesting them to grant her plea. After verbal assurances last year, the 29-year-old had met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on March 21 this year, when she got the state government's official permission to undergo the surgery.

Jubilant lot
A happy Salve, who now prefers to be called Lalit Kumar, said, "I met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on March 21. He'd then assured me that the matter would be resolved on an urgent basis. I was sure that the government would give me a positive response.

Lalita Salve outside the Bombay High Court last November. File Pic

"I have sought permission for the surgery, leave for it, and to be in service as a male constable afterwards, as per consultations with JJ Hospital doctors, who too had asked me to get the department's permission. I am very happy now and especially grateful to the CM for giving me a new birth." Salve's uncle Arjun Ujagare told mid-day, "We have no words to express our happiness. Her mother [Kesarbai] and father [Madhukar] had been under tremendous pressure, as she was the breadwinner of the family. But now, the order has relieved us all."

"After her meeting with the CM, we were hopeful that she would get the official permission... and see, she's got it now!" he exulted.

Awaiting instructions
Her colleagues with the Beed police, though, are unclear, and a little worried, on the appropriate way to address her and treat her after the surgery, and are waiting for guidelines on the same from the Home department.

The Beed SP had sent a letter to the state DGP, who then wrote to the Home ministry regarding this. Beed Superintendent of Police Shreedhar Govindrajan said, "We have given her permission for the surgery, as well as leave. We are awaiting Home department's directions on the right way to treat her in a special case like this, as in our records, she will remain a woman constable even after the surgery. Hence, guidelines need to be issued, which will be followed in Salve's case, and others that may follow."

Also Read: Here's what Mumbai's trans community has to say to Beed constable Lalita Salve

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