Nearly 24 transgender people attempted mass suicide by consuming floor cleaning material in the Nandlalpura area of Indore, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Anand Kaladgi said those who had consumed the floor cleaner were immediately rushed to Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital and are in stable condition.

“We received information about a situation of ruckus at a house in Nandlalpura where transgender persons reside. Our senior officers promptly arrived at the scene. They learned that some of the individuals had consumed an unknown substance, causing several of them to fall ill. Ambulances were immediately called, and 24 people were admitted to the nearby hospital. They are currently receiving treatment and are in stable condition,” DCP Kalagdi said.

Police said the suicide attempt was the result of a long-standing rivalry between two groups from the transgender community. “The allegation is that a leader of one of the groups was harassing members from the other group. We have registered an FIR after their statements were recorded,” the DCP said.

However, some residents of the area have pointed to allegations that two people claiming to be journalists had forced themselves on a trans person, suggesting that this was behind the suicide attempt. Police, however, have said the incident was a “different matter”.

Neha Kunwar, who is associated with the transgender community’s dera in Nandlalpura, told reporters that two people who claimed to be journalists allegedly raped a trans person, and blackmailed and threatened them, after which the victim lodged a police complaint on Tuesday. An FIR has since been filed.

“It happened three months ago. Are we not humans? They also looted Rs 1.5 lakh from the victim,” Kunwar alleged.