Sailor who underwent sex change may be sacked by the Indian Navy

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The Indian Navy was thrown into unchartered territory after a sailor underwent a sex change surgery or gender reassignment surgery. The Navy has asked the defence ministry that " she" be discharged. On the flipside the sailor reported that he was " a woman trapped in a man's body".

As per a report filed by the Times of India, this is a first-ever such case they have encountered. The Navy now wants her to be discharged under the SNLR (service no longer required) provision. The sailor who returned to her base, INS Eksila in Vishakapatnam, underwent the surgery secretly in Mumbai last year.

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As per the Navy, the sailor has violated the terms and conditions under which she was recruited into the forces, namely as "an Indian male citizen" seven years ago. Also, the Navy maintains that even though it has been recruiting women into the force as officers from the 1990s, it recruits only men as sailors, soldiers and airmen.

A source said to Times of India, "There is no specific rule or regulation to deal with such sex-change operations or transgender people in the armed forces. After much deliberations, a show-cause notice, a medical examination and other proceedings, the Navy has decided she cannot continue as a sailor in the force."

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The sailor is now attached with the office of the commanding officer of INS Eksila, a Naval marine gas turbine overhaul facility that is under the Eastern Naval Command. Sources said that the sailor now grows out her hair and wears a sari. The source also added, "The sailor had joined the Naval mechanical engineering wing seven years ago, got married and even has a child. The sailor, once discharged, will not get any pension because it is mandatory to serve for at least 15 years to become eligible for it,"

Incidentally, women officers are not allowed to serve on board sea-faring warships or be a part of the infantry, artillery or armoured corp in the Army. This is vastly different from the Airforce that now has three women undergoing training on fighter jets after being commissioned last year.

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