Jorhat, May 14: In a pioneering move, Jorhat College (amalgamated) has decided to open its doors to transgender students.

The admission forms of the college for the next academic year, starting July, will differ from other colleges in the Northeast as it will have an additional option in the gender column apart from male and female categories - transgender or the third gender.

The move follows a decision by college authorities to open doors to a section of people who are socially not a part of mainstream society. The move is said to be the first of its kind in the Northeast.

An orientation programme among students and teachers to make the transgender students "feel comfortable" will be initiated soon.

"As the matter is a sensitive one, orientation programme for students and teachers will be conducted in the college to create a friendly atmosphere on the campus to make the third gender students feel at ease," principal of the college, Devabrata Sharma, told The Telegraph today.

The college, established in 1962 and affiliated to Dibrugarh University, runs higher secondary and degree courses in the arts stream.

Sharma said the decision to open admissions to the transgender community was not only an "important step" taken by the institute but a rational one too, based on the principle of equality and non-discrimination that every society should practise.

Sharma, who was the chief editor of the largest comprehensive dictionary in Assamese, Asomiya Jatiya Abhidhan, said the decision was also in conformity with the Supreme Court's verdict last year. In April 2014, a bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice A.K. Sikri, in separate but concurrent judgments, had said, "Eunuchs, apart from the binary gender, be treated as a third gender ...... Recognition of transgenders as a third gender is not a social or medical issue but a human rights issue."

Sharma said before taking the decision, they had consulted teachers, non-teaching staff and the students' union of the college and everyone had unanimously supported the decision.

"However, to implement a new policy on a matter which is treated as taboo in society, sensitisation on the issue is necessary. Hence, the women and gender cells of the college along with students' union will be organising sensitisation sessions on the matter soon," he said.

Sharma said as transgenders would join the courses by declaring their gender officially, the behaviour of the teachers, students and non-teaching staff would have to be very "positive and normal" so that the transgenders get a pleasant environment. Resource persons will assist in the campaign.

Sharma said the institute has also decided to introduce believer and non-believer (of religious faith) column in the admission form. Students who do not believe in any religion can declare the same and those who practise religion can fill up the faith they follow.

Dibrugarh University vice-chancellor Alak Kumar Buragohain said they had opened admission for post-graduate courses to the transgender community in the last academic year in keeping with a UGC directive but there have been no takers. He said whether affiliated colleges should open up for third gender depended on the college authorities.