SAHIWAL: A transgender person was burnt alive by unidentified people at a cab stand at Mall Mandi Chowk here on Thursday.

According to police, four men took the transgender person to a deserted place near the cab station and attempted to sexually assault her.

She was doused in petrol before being set on fire for resisting their attempts. She was shifted to the Sahiwal DHQ Hospital to be referred to Lahore; however, the victim of the hate crime succumbed to her injuries before further treatment.

The Fateh Sher police have not registered a case of the incident. According to hospital sources, the victim suffered 80 per cent burns on the body. After her death, there were no claimants of her body.

Investigation Officer Jaffar Husain told a local media outlet that the police under section 74 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) handed over the body to the municipality staff which buried the body.

In the last three years alone, at least 55 transgender people were killed and other faced harassment and assaults in at least 1,133 incidents in parts of the country.

It may be noted here that the Senate had approved the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2018 in March. The bill was aimed at ensuring the rights of transgender persons.

It was stated in the bill that harassment of transgender persons will be prohibited in and outside their homes. They will not be discriminated against by educational institutions, employers, in trade and health services, when using public transport and buying, selling or renting property.

“Like many other departments, the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) has failed the transgender community and failed to be an effective voice. They have completly failed to play thier role as described in the transgender person protection of rights Act 2018,” stated an NGO working for the rights of trans persons in the country, TransAction Pakistan, who shared the videos on their Facebook page.