Marginalised community: Transgenders accuse police of torture.

HARIPUR -- Around five transgenders were allegedly subjected to physical and mental torture at the hands of the police after being implicated in a fabricated case, claimed Haripur Shemale Association President Saima Shaukat on Thursday.

Speaking to the media, Shaukat threatened the association would observe a hunger strike after Muharram if the police continued to behave with them in the same way. She maintained a group of five transgenders belonging to the association was asleep at their house in Bazaar Lohara a night earlier when police knocked on the door and took them to the city police station.

"They put us in the police van as if we were terrorists," said Bela, one of the victims of the alleged torture. Once at the police station, two policemen proceeded to 'teach them a lesson' for spreading obscenity, said Shehzadi, another transgender alleging torture. She claimed the policemen beat them with bamboo sticks, leaving marks on their bodies.

"They detained us there the whole night and used abusive language," said Rifati, who also maintained she was physically abused in custody. Another transgender, Danish...