Eunuchs -- or maasis, as they are commonly called -- turn up at auspicious occasions and take alms, by which they earn a living. But apart from the 300-year-old stronghold of Nanpura Hijrawaad, eunuchs now also live in small ghettos near the railway station, Rampura and Rajunagar. It is these eunuchs that the Hijrawadis label as nakli. And the so-called naklis are demanding they be recognised and allowed to earn their living freely.

With three clashes in two months behind them, all signs indicate further confrontation is around the corner, especially as the wedding season draws closer. ``We have been born and brought up here and are as much hijras as they are. Earning a living on alms is the only way we know to survive. But they are not allowing us to do that. They're trying to drive us out of the city,'' alleges Bobby Kunwar, the unanimous head of the so-called nakli group.

``But there is a limit for everything. We have drawn the attention of all officials, even the Chief Minister, and if they keep harassing us, we will give a fitting reply,'' he warns.

Sheetal Kunwar of the Nanpura Hijrawaad retorts, ``Do they have any ethics? Most of them are outsiders (not from Surat), act indecently in public and roam on the streets after 8 pm. Ey badha nakli chhe ane emne kadhi mukwana chhe (they are fake and will be kicked out).''

According to Kunwar, the Nanpura Hijrwawaad was issued a licence by the British Government; members of the Hijrawaad carried copies of it. ``We have elaborate celebrations during the Chaitra month and also Mata no Bhandaro celebrations. They have no such customs nor ethics,'' Kunwar alleges.

Deputy Commissioner of Police K K Ojha, whom the delegation of eunuchs met, told Express Newsline that he had warned them against getting violent and had been assured to that effect.

The first signs of friction between the two groups emerged between October and November last year, when the police received about four complaints within a span of a week. Wedding organisers complained to then police commissioner Maniram that eunuchs arrived at the marriage scene, demanded exorbitant sums of money and acted indecently when they failed to pay up. Though Maniram asked the both the parties to lodge police complaints, the Nanpura Hijrawaad took the matter seriously by placing advertisements in newspapers, stating that ``indecent acts'' were the works of the nakli hijras and accused them of maligning the entire community.