HIV/AIDS is becoming a major security concern in India.

[Guest guest]

New Delhi, Aug 18: Besides insurgencies plaguing the India HIV/AIDS

is becoming a major security concern in India.

The government has here officially admitted that the deadly virus

has creeped into the armed forces and para-military forces backbone

of national security system.

Indian Minister of State for Home Sriparakash Jaiswal told Lok Sabha

here on Tuesday that as many as 171 para-military personnel have

died due to HIV/AIDS during last three years. He said most of the

cases 86 were reported in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

followed by 39 cases in Assam rifles. What he said that both these

organizations are engaged in curbing insurgencies in the

northeastern states. Atleast 15 deaths have been reported in the

Border Security Force (BSF) also.

In the year 2004 alone, 54 personnel fell victim to HIV.

Last week, Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had told the

House that there were atleast 320 HIV positive cases in the Indian

Army.

He, however, said the incidence of HIV cases in the army come to

just 0.02 per cent. Though, government here has been refusing to

give any comprehensive date on the extent of HIV/AIDS infections in

the military and para-military forces, an increasing number of court

cases, involving defence and security establishments and HIV

infected personnel, pending disposal is an indication of the

alarming scenario.

In disputed Jammu and Kashmir alone, during past six months atleast

15 personnel have tested HIV-positive. Nine of them were from the

Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

36-year-old BSF personnel posted at Pulwama recently died of AIDS in

Srinagar.

Alarmed at the behavior of the forces, the installed regime has

asked the military top brass to step up the AIDS awareness campaign

among their personnel.

A study on HIV/AIDS in India by Happymon , done for the Centre

for Strategic and Regional Studies, University of Jammu has

highlighted the need for suitable preventive action in the context

of Indian forces. The paper says in India, military personnel

infected by the virus who would not divulge it due to the fear of

losing their jobs could jeopardize military prowess and

preparedness.

In Africa the virus has already run havoc on security systems of

various countries. In Kenya, AIDS had accounted for 75 per cent of

police deaths in 1999-2000. As per US defence intelligence agency's

estimates, 10 to 20 per cent of soldiers in the Nigerian and Cote

d'lvoire armies are HIV positive while the figures are 40 to 60 per

cent in case of the armies of Angola and Congo. In Zimbababwe and

Malawi the figures are as high as 70 to 75 per cent.

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