Full Story About Prithika Yashini
K Prithika Yashini has been fighting society, shattering glass ceilings all her life, she is the first transgender woman to be a police officer in India. She also became the first trans woman sub-inspector in Tamil Nadu, India. Prithika Yashini was born and brought up as Pradeep Kumar, the son of a driver-tailor couple in Salem, Tamil Nadu. When she hit puberty, she realized she didn’t feel like a boy. Her parents took her to multiple doctors, astrologers and temples who could provide a magical solution to all her problems. She completed her undergraduation in computer applications.
In 2011, she ran away from her house to Chennai, were she found acceptance and support in the transgender community of the city. She began her career in Chennai working as a warden in a women’s hostel.Yashini then applied for recruitment as a sub-inspector of police to the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) to fill vacancies for 1087 posts. However, her application was rejected as being a trans woman she did not belong to any of the two specified categories, namely, male or female. This led to a legal battle and finally citing a Court order she won the battle against ‘Tamil Nadu Uniform Services Recruitment Board’.
The court ordered to conduct a written test for her. The test for the recruitment comprises written test, physical endurance test and a viva-voce. With legal recourse in a competent court, she was able to lower the minimum cut-off marks for written test for such a recruitment from 28.5 to 25.00. She cleared all physical endurance tests except missing 100-meter dash by one second. However, she was testified successful in the physical endurance test.In terms of judgement of the Madras High Court, which was delivered on 6 November 2015, directions were given to the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) to appoint K Prithika Yashini as a sub-inspector of police as she is “entitled to get the job”.
The judgement further directed the TNUSRB to include transgender people as a “third category”, apart from the usual category of “male” and “female”.Yashini along with 21 other trans women received the appointment orders from Chennai City Police Commissioner Smith Saran in April 2017. In an interview, Prithika Yashini told, “can’t wait to wear the uniform,” she grins. “I will be the first transgender to don the khaki as a sub-inspector, imagine.” She aspires to become an officer of Indian Police Service over a period of time.She took charge as sub-inspector in Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu on April 2, 2017 and is posted in the law and order wing. Apart from being a police officer by profession,she is also an app developer.
Prithika Yashini helps other transgenders to cope up with their identity. Prithika Yashini has not only made history by becoming India’s first transgender police officer but she also became the flag bearer for the inclusion of ‘Transgender’ option under the ‘Gender category’ in all recruitment forms in Tamil Nadu. Prithika feels she’s in a responsible position. “I want to be an example for my community and do whatever I can for them,” she says. “I hope to become a respected sub-inspector; one who places her duty ahead of everything else.” Prithika aims to crack the UPSC exam and become an IPS officer. “There’s so much I want to do! I want to work towards reservation for transgenders in education and employment and for the cause of women and the lesser-privileged” Prithika Yashini said.
Read : Jayavel : A Journey From Begging At Chennai Streets To Studying At Cambridge
