Unveiling their identities before the media for the first time, Labonno Hijra, Nodi Hijra and Chokori Hijra, took responsibility for their role in catching two of the three killers of blogger Oyasiqur Rahman Babu.
After previously shying away from the spotlight for fear of reprisals, the three transgender women are now opening up to the public about their role in helping send suspects Jikrullah and Ariful Islam into police custody.
On the day Oyasiqur was brutally hacked to death with machetes, the three hijras were out on alms round in the Begunbari neighborhood when they happened upon a scene of public agitation.
Labonno, Nodi and Cokori said they were begging from shop to shop on March 30, when shouts of “dhor, dhor” (catch them, catch them) and “dakat, dakat” (thieves, thieves) rang out.
Hearing the clamour and seeing two men apparently fleeing the scene, Labonno grabbed Jikrullah and Ariful Islam by their T-shirts thinking they were robbers or muggers.
One of the men punched her hand in an effort to break free of her grasp and shouted at her to let them go, Labonno recalls.
During the struggle, a machete dropped out of a bag one of them was carrying, she said.
Soon residents of the area and law enforcers arrived on the scene and the police took the murder suspects into custody.
Labonno told the Dhaka Tribune that she had not been not afraid and had acted instinctively, saying: “I thought they were robbers or muggers. I just grabbed them. I always try to come forward when I see someone in danger.”
Nodi said: “We are proud to be Labonno’s friends. If she did not grab the two murderers that day, the police might not have them in custody now. The whole hijra community is proud of Labonno.”
The day after the murder, the Dhaka Tribune spoke to members of the transgender community the three hijras belong to, hoping to obtain the identity of those who had helped catch Oyasiqur’s murder suspects. But they did not want anyone’s name published.
Explaining that their Guru Ma, or leader, Sapna Hijra, was out of town and would decide what to do when she returned, the transgender women said they feared for their lives and were awaiting their guru’s decision.
The next day, the Dhaka Tribune published their story without naming anyone, as requested.
But now with Sapna Hijra’s go-ahead, they have stepped forward. Labonno still fears reprisals.
Labonno said: “I was afraid. Guru Ma ordered the community to be silent until she returned to Dhaka.”
“That is why when you came to us earlier, we did not disclose our names to you,” Labonno said.
