UPSC aspirant self-harms in attempt to change gender, condition critical

Prayagraj (The Uttam Hindu): A heartbreaking incident has come to light from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, where a student preparing for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cut off his private part due to his intense desire to become a girl. The student took this horrific step after watching a video on YouTube and consulting a quack doctor. At present, the student's condition remains critical and he is undergoing treatment in the hospital.

The 22-year-old student from Amethi told doctors that he had been feeling like a girl and not a boy since the age of 14. He said, "I am a girl and not a boy, but no one listened to me, so I took this step." Being the only son of his parents, he could not muster the courage to tell his family about his feelings and started preparing for UPSC by taking a rented room in Prayagraj.

The student told that he searched for ways to become a girl on YouTube and contacted a quack doctor in Katra. On his advice, the student bought an anesthesia injection and a surgical blade from a medical store. In his room, he injected himself and numbed the part below the waist and then cut his private part with a blade.

As soon as the effect of anesthesia wore off, the student started writhing in pain. Blood was spread all over the room. After writhing in pain for about an hour, he mustered up the courage to inform his landlord, after which he was first admitted to Bailey Hospital and then to SRN Hospital when his condition became critical.

According to Dr. Santosh Singh, senior surgeon of SRN Hospital, the student is suffering from a mental condition called 'Gender Identity Disorder' or 'Gender Dysphoria'. Due to this, he thought that he was a girl and he put his life at risk. The doctor said that if the student was not taken to the hospital on time, he could have died due to excessive bleeding. Now the student will also be counseled by a psychiatrist.