AIDS activists violated: The solution is education and awareness

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum members:

This is my first posting on this site. However, I read

the post regulary.

I am a native of Bellary in Karnataka. I am presently

in New york working on MD in Medicine.

That was a very well drafted letter. However, it is my

personal belief that suspending anyone will do any

good. Rather than a tit for tat we should try to

understand why those law keepers and law makers acted

the way they did. For all we know they (violaters)

themselves might/are be at risk of AIDS-which rightly

treats all beings equally! The great equalizer of

modern times if I may say so.

These events were emotionally charged and each party

strongly felt they were doing the right thing. If this

were an isolated incident, disciplinary action might

have helped. I will not be surprised if the attitudes

are similar in other talukas or districts of karnataka

or for that matter any where in India.

I feel, any solution to this issue should include

creating awarenss or educating these people about the

disease and then we may expect their attitudes to

change. I for one am not at all surprised at this

incident. Let us not forget that some, if not a

significant number amongst us us have gone through

different stages in relating to HIV/AIDS-beginning

with absolute ignorance......with bad attitudes like

the people above with half baked knowledge of the

disease.... to people who feel stronly about this

issue and emathize with the victims of the disease.

In summary, I feel it was ignorance and fear (of

unkown? ) that made them behave so unprofessionally

and inhumanely. We would be better serving the cause

if we can educate the poice force. Disciplinary

actions in isolation or as a major form of remedy will

be nothing more than a knee jerk reactions.

Vijayabhaskar Reddy Kandula MD MPH

E-mail: <emailreddy@...>

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