HYDERABAD: Police have arrested a female junior clerk and 14 transgender activists after a daylong protest inside the office of Hyderabad’s Senior Superintendent of Police turned violent on Wednesday.

The demonstrators, led by transgender rights activist Pinky Shaikh, had gathered at the SSP’s office to demand the reinstatement of junior clerk Maria Sario as desk incharge of the women’s complaint facilitation cell — a position she had previously held.

SSP Shahzeb Chachar met the group and offered to head a seven-member committee to address transgender community issues. The offer was rejected. The protest escalated: according to the FIR, the group broke down a door, forced their way into the room of Inspector Benazir Zardari, ransacked the office and manhandled the inspector, compelling her to vacate her seat and installed Maria Sario in the inspector’s chair. Some protesters demonstrated outside the SSP’s office semi-naked before a heavy police contingent was called in and all 15 were arrested. Some others escaped.

An FIR — crime No. 100/26 — was lodged by Inspector Malik Javed Iqbal at Cantonment police station under Sections 114, 353, 147, 149, 120-B, 427 and 504 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Speaking to Dawn, SSP Chachar said audio and video recordings showed the transgender activists had acted in collusion with Maria Sario, who he alleged had orchestrated the protest to secure her own reinstatement. “I realised it was being done at the instigation of the junior clerk,” he said. “It was clearly a protest planned and manipulated by her.”

Maria Sario had previously headed 13 police desks covering minority affairs, transgender issues, a human rights cell, and a women and children’s cell. She was removed from the post in November 2025 after then SSP Adeel Chandio suspended her following an incident in which she slapped a uniformed female assistant sub-inspector. Her husband Naveed, also a police employee, was suspended at the same time.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026