Indian eunuchs get separate category in electoral rolls

India's Election Commission has given eunuchs an independent identity by letting them choose their gender as "other" on ballot forms.

The commission said it had received representation from various individuals and interest groups on the subject.

So far, eunuchs were forced to put down their gender as either male or female.



There are about 500,000 eunuchs in India. Known as hijras, they comprise the hermaphrodite, transvestite and transsexual communities.

The election commission's recognition of eunuchs as an independent group is a first step towards an official recognition of the community which has so far remained on the margins of society.

Eunuchs are feared and reviled in many parts of India, where some believe they have supernatural powers.