In India, men who lack courage to take a stand and never protest a wrong are teased as ‘Eunuchs’ – an indication of the prejudice that the society hands out to Transgender people. Well, such people ought to meet Veeru, a poor Eunuch and a rickshaw puller in India’s Allahabad city who is an emerging leader, fighting against corrupt policemen and government officials.
In Allahabad, the capital city of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in India, over 3 thousand cycle rickshaw drivers are these days protesting against corrupt policemen and municipality staff who force the poor rickshaw drivers to pay bribes for obtaining a driving license. The protest movement of the rickshaw drivers is led by Veeru – a Eunuch and a former rickshaw driver herself.
Cycle rickshaws have been the cheapest and most popular means of transport for millions of Indians for several decades. But right now in many cities, the entire public transport system is undergoing a total revamp as the government is trying to modernize the cities. Allahabad is one of those places.
Until recently, rickshaw pullers needed no driving license. But now, as a part of the urban development plan, government has made it mandatory for cycle rickshaws to get a driving license. But when the drivers apply for a license, the municipality staff demands a hefty bribe. Similarly city police, corrupt to the hilt, also extorts money (they call it ‘toll charges. what the toll charges are for? that’s a question the police never answers) from the rickshaw pullers. Those who refuse to pay are either denied a license or have their rickshaws confiscated.
There are about 3 thousand rickshaw pullers in Allahabad today. Almost every one of them is dirt poor, under or uneducated and hail from a marginalized community. Most of them are former landless farmers or victims of riots or caste violence migrated to Allahabad from other states.
Almost everyone drives a hired rickshaw which means everyday they have to pay 50% of their total income as rent to the owner. Since the daily earnings of a rickshaw driver is a maximum Rs.100, he has about Rs. 50 (roughly $1) to feed his own family.
Clearly, the earnings of the rickshaw driver is so meager that he can’t even afford a proper meal. Paying bribes is therefore like a huge punishment to him.
Eunuch Veeru – leader of the cycle rickshaw drivers used to drive a rickshaw earlier. But constant harassment by the police forced her to give up pulling rickshaw and do what other transgender people do – singing at rituals or selling sex. This is not a better life by any means, but at least it lets Veeru have a square meal a day – something that her rickshaw puller friends has to struggle for. However, Veeru still feels close to the rickshaw puller community and has decided to fight for their rights. Veeru’s story came forth when Ajeet Bahadur – a community correspondent of IndiaUnheard news service filed a video report on her.
While shooting this video Ajeet, who is also a human rights activist, was shocked to see that the city administration was least concerned about the rickshaw drivers’ problems. After this protest rally when the drivers the city commissioner and threatened to go on strike if the extortion didn’t stop, the commissioner laughed at them and quipped, " strike? really? can you afford it?"
It was this moment that made Ajeet decide to do this video. He thinks that the officer’s behaviour reflects the government’s thoughts on rickshaw pullers, transgenders and the poor. This attitude must change, says Ajeet, because as a free citizen every rickshaw driver has a right to earn a livelihood and live a life of dignity, free of harassment.
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