Kolkata Film Institute is not giving hostel admission to Jaipur’s dalit trans student
Student complains of gender discrimination in letter sent to West Bengal Transgender Persons Development Board
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Published on: Jun 13, 2023 at 10:16 am
Kolkata. Jena Sagar, a talented Dalit trans student at the renowned Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in West Bengal’s capital Kolkata, awaits accommodation in the women’s hostel. Jena had applied for hostel to the institute on May 15 but even after almost a month she has not received any response from the institute.
According to a report published in Times of India, Jaipur resident Jena is a student of Production Department at SRFTI. Jenna has attached to her hostel application a letter from her psychiatrist confirming her gender identity dysphoria (GID), as well as a letter from her endocrinologist confirming she has undergone gender reassignment surgery. Is passing
SRFTI recently hit headlines due to students’ protest over mishandling of sexual harassment cases and subsequent removal of the presiding officer of the Internal Complaints Committee. On the issue of granting hostel admission to a trans girl student, Himanshu Khatua, director of the institute, told TOI, “I will find out whether the application was officially submitted to a responsible staff member or not. The girl informed me verbally on Friday. Information about this was given. Action will be taken as per rules after determining the information of gender reassignment surgery of the girl student in the original admission form.
Here, Jenna says that her documents establish her identity as a transwoman. She is also in the process of getting a Gender Identity Certificate, which usually takes three to four months, despite legal provisions to expedite it.
Upset over not getting any response from the film institute even after a month, Jena has written a letter to the West Bengal Transgender Persons Development Board complaining of gender-based discrimination by the organization against her for being a trans woman. Jenna’s problem is not only gender discrimination but also economic crisis. Due to gender reassignment surgery, Jena is unable to afford her current accommodation after 30th June along with medical expenses due to which she is looking forward to get admission in the institute hostel soon. The Mooknayak tried to contact the Institute Director regarding this matter but did not get any response.
