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MHA, CAPFs firming up views to change recruitment rules for transgenders

P L UNIYAL. Dated: 7/5/2020 12:33:27 AM

NEW DELHI, July 4: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), most Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have begun the process of firming up their views to change the recruitment rules for the intake of transgender candidates in the officer’s ranks, as the CRPF and the BSF have already agreed to the proposal.
A senior official in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the largest among the paramilitary outfit, said: “We fully value the spirit of the order of the Supreme Court on transgenders. We already have a gender-neutral work environment. In view of the impending policy guidelines of the MHA, we shall make it further compatible as per the need.”
Similarly, in the Border Security Force (BSF), an official said, the security outfit had already communicated their consent for recruiting transgender candidates in its ranks at the officer level (Assistant Commandant-AC).
“The consent was sent soon after receiving the communication from the MHA around the 2019-year end,” he said. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) have already put in place the process of forming their opinion. The two forces have written to their field formations to elicit their opinion on the issue of transgenders’ recruitment.
“All border guarding forces are by and large have, in principle, agreed to the proposal and are in the process of finalising their respective formats to recruit transgender candidates in their ranks at the officer level,” said a senior MHA official.
The BSF guards India’s border with Pakistan and Bangladesh, whereas the ITBP has been assigned the borders with China. The SSB is manning India’s border with Nepal and Bhutan. The CRPF, the largest among the forces, is mostly engaged in anti-terror, anti-Naxal and anti-insurgency activities, besides normal law and order duties.
In a communication to the CAPFs, the MHA has sought their views to give their opinions for incorporating the ‘third gender’ along with male/female sections for the CAPF (AC) Examination 2020. In the reminder letter, the MHA has asked them to furnish their views at earliest so that the final decision on this issue can be taken soon to recruit transgender candidates at the level of Assistant Commandant.