HIV+ woman ostracised, thrashed

BARASAT: Despite massive campaigns across the country, there is no let up in cases of HIV-positive persons being ostracised.
A 25-year-old woman, who had earlier been trafficked to Mumbai and tested HIV-positive, was thrashed and thrown out of her village by her neighbours. The incident took place in North 24-Parganas' Hasnabad.
After she tested positive for HIV on November 7, 2015, at a rural hospital in Sandeshkhali, the villagers started isolating her.They threatened to harm her and forbid her from from taking bath in local ponds and collecting water from tubewells.
"She was beaten up mercilessly and ostracised for over eight months. When she tried to convince the locals, a group of youths hit her on her head with bricks. They tried to strangle her and eventually, threw her out of the village," said Shukla Chakraborty, vice-president, Network for People Living with HIV (NPLH).
The situation turned worse on Saturday after the woman visited the NPLH's Barasat office to narrate her plight. "When she returned from the NPLH office, some villagers asked her to leave the place immediately. After she refused and tried to convince them that her disease was not infectious, they beat her up," said a local woman.
The victim took refuge at her brother's house in neighbouring Patkhilanpur village. After NPLH members learnt about her plight, they visited her brother's house on Monday and admitted her to Taki hospital. Later, she was shifted to Barasat district hospital.
Antara Acharya, district magistrate of North 24-Parganas, said, "I will look into the matter and make sure a legal action is taken against the guilty."