Village ousts HIV+ woman

Locals in Mau district allegedly drove an HIV positive woman out of her village, for they believed the disease was contagious, and was forced to stay in the fields outside her home till Thursday. Thereafter, she was allegedly driven away from there too.

The district administration ordered a probe but no police case is lodged so far.

According to reports, the woman tested positive for HIV recently. Her husband, also HIV positive, died in 2012.

The woman stated she and her three children have lived a life of penury since then; her relatives and locals too boycotted them.

Mau district magistrate Nikhil Chandra Shukla said the sub-divisional magistrate is asked to probe the matter.

Station house officer (SHO) Haldharpur Sandeep Yadav, however, termed the incident a ‘figment of imagination’. He said the woman needed a ration card. When she could not produce the requisite documents, she cooked up the story of her being HIV positive.

The whereabouts of the woman and her children are not known but district officials are trying to locate her, he said.

“We will ensure that she gets back to her house and gets proper medical attention,” the district magistrate said.