Kinnar Akhada alleges discrimination by CM

ALLAHABAD: Left out of a meeting of Akhada Parishad and the administration convened on May 19 to finalise the dates of Shahi Snan, the akhada of transgender seers, Kinnar Akhada, has alleged "discrimination" by chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Kumbh mela administration.
The Kinnar Akhada claims membership of over 100 LGBT seers.

Kinnar Akhada chief Achraya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi has written to the Kumbh Mela officer and the divisional commissioner stating that the Supreme Court has recognised LGBT community as third gender in a 2014 verdict, but the government seems to have overlooked the fact. He warned of launching an agitation if the akhada was not called in future meetings related to Kumbh.

"We are hurt by the discrimination... we were not invited in the meeting held for finalizing the dates of shahi snan," Tripathi wrote in the letter.

"This kind of side-lining of the Kinnar Akhada won't be appreciated. We are also part of the Akhada. We are upset that we were not invited in the meeting," he added.

The akhada was constituted last year and was in news after the council of country's 13 akhadas, the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad (ABAP), boycotted it. Later, after a few rounds of meetings, president of Akhada Parished announced that LGBT saints would be invited in council meetings.

On May 19, the chief minister in presence of all the 13 akhadas announced the shahi snan days. However, transgender saints were not invited.