The sad demise of Ananya Kumari Alex has shaken the people of Kerala. Ananya died hanging from the fan in the bedroom. The police suspect it to be a case of death by suicide, even though the investigation is ongoing.
“Prima facie, it is a case of suspected suicide but more details will be available only after the autopsy. We have registered a case of unnatural death and the probe is underway. Her body has been shifted to Ernakulam Medical College for post-mortem.” shared sources from the Police.
Ananya Kumari was Kerala’s first transwoman radio jockey and the first transgender to contest in Kerala’s assembly elections. She went up against P. K. Kunhalikutty, a staunch member of the Indian Union Muslim League, in Malappuram. However, owing to issues in the Democratic Social Justice Party whom she presented, she withdrew from the elections.
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The 28-year-old transwoman had come out recently about alleged medical negligence in her sex reassignment surgery. She had undergone various complications post the surgery. In fact, she complained about not being able to do routine work due to the pain. There was a lot of social media conversation about this. Moreover, preparations were made to collect resources so that Ananyah could get a re-surgery done. The police believe that this could be the reason for her suicide, but they are yet to confirm.
In 2020, the Kerala Government had hiked the allowance given to transgenders for sex reassignment surgeries. They kept aside INR 50 lakhs for this. Shailaja, the ex-Health Minister of Kerala quoted, “For those who want to undergo surgery to become males, a maximum of Rs 2 lakh was given. But due to the number of surgeries and mounting expenses involved, this amount has now been increased to Rs 5 lakh. Likewise, for those who want to undergo corrective surgery to become females, the amount has been fixed at Rs 2.50 lakh.” While the initiative was praised, the primary issue faced by many were the proper regulation of these services.
Suicide prevention helpline number: 0484-2540530
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