India appoints 1st transgender chancellor

Kolkata - India has for the first time appointed a transgender as the principal of a women's college.

Manabi Banerjee will head the Krishnagar Women's College in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.

According to local official Dipak K Kar, Banerjee is expected to start her new job on June 9.

India's transgender activists have hailed the decision as a proud day for the community that usually faces discrimination.

Last year, India's Supreme Court declared the transgender community as a legal third gender, granting them minority rights and privileges to education, employment and health benefits.

'Transgender' Manabi Banerjee goes ... http://t.co/gxqbKMd3JT #KrishnagarCollege #ManabiBanerjee #NewsTicker pic.twitter.com/vWzPfSg2zr

— kolkata24x7 (@kolkata24x7) May 27, 2015