AIDS claim more Assam Rifles men than guns

[Guest guest]

Dear friends

We have for years expressed our grave concerns about increasing commercial sex

and related activities of the security forces stationed in the North Eastern

region, much of them under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958

Roy Laifungbam "

CORE, Manipur

E-mail: <laifungbam@...>

________________________________

AIDS claim more AR men than guns

Shillong, Apr 20

More Assam Rifles personnel are dying of AIDS than in operations against

militants in the North Eastern Region, a top official of the force said today.

" More jawans are dying from AIDS than from militancy in the North East. 118

jawans have HIV/AIDS till now of which 32 have died. We accept the menace and do

not deny its existence in the force. The trend is increasing, " Assam Rifles

Director General Lt General Bhopinder Singh told reporters.

The first case was detected in 1992 and the last only four days ago, he said.

The personnel were affected through sexual contact and from women drug addicts

in the NE, Singh said.

The AR DG said as the 170-year-old paramiltary force, raised primarily to

address security concerns in the North East, would continue to stay there, the

menace of HIV/AIDS had to be fought at any cost.

He said that an awareness campaign against HIV/AIDS had been launched for the

jawans on a war-footing. The AR was also identifying " weak areas " like Dimapur,

Tezpur and other narcotics transit points for insulating them.

" We will also appeal to religious institutions to help us, " he said.

A film festival on spreading awarenes on drug trafficking and AIDS was being

organised by the Assam Rifles Wives Welfare Association) (ARWWA) from April 22

to be attended by filmstars Shilpa Shetty, Dipti Naval, Seema Biswas and

Revathy.

Also to sensitise youngsters on AIDS, a talkshow would be organised on April 21.

The filmstars would take questions on AIDS from school and college students,

Winnie Singh, the DG's wife and president of the ARWWA Winnie Singh said.

PTI

http://www.thesangaiexpress.com/News_pages/Local_page-07.html