Telangana's missing transgender candidate turns up at police station

Transgender candidate M. Chandramukhi, contesting the Telangana assembly elections from a constituency in the city, turned up at a police station late Wednesday night.

Chandramukhi, who is contesting the election from Goshamahal as a candidate of the Bahujan Left Front and was missing since early Tuesday, reached Banjara Hills police station along with her lawyer and some members of the transgender community.

She refused to give a statement to police about her whereabouts, saying she will reveal all the details in court on Thursday.

The Hyderabad High Court had on Wednesday directed the police to produce her in the court on Thursday.

The court passed orders on a habeas corpus petitioned filed by Chandramukhi's mother Ananthamma.

Earlier, a missing case was registered at the Banjara Hills police station on a complaint by her mother.

Chandramukhi, the only transwoman candidate in Telangana's assembly elections, went missing early on Tuesday from her house in Jawaharnagar here. According to her supporters, two persons had come to meet her. Later, her mobile phone was switched off. They claimed she had been abducted.

However, after examining CCTV footage, police said on Wednesday that she left the house on her own and was seen walking alone. A police official said she had masked her face to hide her identity.

Police had formed 10 teams to trace the missing candidate. A few teams were also deputed to Anantapur and other districts in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

Bahujan Left Front leaders and transgender activists have alleged that people who were opposed to a transgender contesting the election were behind her disappearance.

Chandramukhi is contesting from Goshamahal against Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Raja Singh and the Congress party's Mukesh Goud.-IANS