Dhananjay, Panjab University ’s first transgender student is an elated person today. Having won the battle for a separate toilet for trans students on the PU premises in 2017, Dhananjay’s efforts have yielded yet another result for the trans student community. In a recent decision, the University has exempted trans students from paying fee for education in PU. With this, PU has joined ranks with only a handful of other educational institutions in the country that have waived off fee for the transgender students.

“Though the separate toilet was a landmark, the fee being waived is a big win since we are fighting a battle for making the community progressive and inclusive in mainstream,” Dhananjay tells Etimes.

It all started when a transwoman, a PU student, Preet was asked to leave the university for not paying fee for her course. “She was a BSc fashion technology students and didn’t have money for fee since her parents had rejected her. That was when we first requested the university for fee exemption for her,” she says, adding, “We were not begging for fee, we were only justifying our case by citing our living conditions, lack of employment and resources.”

PU authorities took up the cause and formed a committee to address the matter, wherein Dhananjay was also appointed as a member. However, that committee added a clause to this demand from the community. “In a note, they said that once exempted from fee, these students will not participate in any protests on PU campus. That was not acceptable and was a violation of Article 19 that allows freedom of speech and expression, and to assemble peaceably at any place. This was also supported by the PU senate,” she says. Thereafter, the community put up their case yet again, resulting in PU accepting their demand this time around.

With this, Dhananjay is hopeful that besides the existing four trans students on PU campus, new applicants will be encouraged to also pursue education. “In my knowledge, there are at least four more trans students applying to various courses in this session. Once word of mouth travels, we are hopeful of more students applying here.” Emanuel Nahar , Dean Student Welfare, PU, confirms this decision, saying, “They had been pursuing this matter with the university since long. Finally, the university has made the decision of waving off their fee. Affiliated colleges will make their own choice on this if a trans student approaches them, since this is PU’s policy decision only.”

