Udupi, Karnataka: Discrimination against cook continues

[Guest guest]

Karnataka - Udupi- Discrimination against cook continues

Staff Correspondent

Udupi: The discrimination against Jayalakshmi Bhovi, a cook in the

Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School at Thombattu village in Udupi

district, continues with students refusing to eat meals prepared by

her.

Jayalakshmi is a victim of a smear campaign by some vested interests

that she is HIV positive. A related report was published in these

columns on August 7, 2007. However, medical tests have proved that

she is not HIV positive.

Thombattu is a naxal-infested hamlet, 65 km from Udupi, in the

Western Ghats. The branding of Ms. Bhovi, who belongs to a Scheduled

Caste, as HIV positive and the subsequent boycott by the villagers

has taken a toll on her family too. Keshav Koteshwara, head of

Spoorthi Dhama, an NGO, who has been closely following the case, told

The Hindu that only three of the 110 students of the school ate the

food prepared by Ms. Bhovi.

Though another NGO, Namma Bhoomi, on the directions of Deputy

Commissioner V. Ponnuraj, met the villagers and tried to convince

them that it was false propaganda, it was of no use. The Karnataka

Janapara Vedike has urged the State Human Rights Commission to take

action. Vedike convener Sriram Divana urged the commission to take

action against those spreading canards about Ms. Bhovi. " Though I

lodged a complaint with the commission, I did not get any reply, " he

said.

Superintendent of Police A.S. Rao said that a case had been

registered based on the complaint lodged by Ms. Bhovi.

However, the accused had obtained anticipatory bail.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/05/stories/2007100558810500.htm

[Guest guest]

[Editors note: Why challenging, HIV and AIDS related discrimination and rights

violations are to be relegaged to positive people's network alone?. What is

Karnatata SACS and other leading HIV/AIDS NGOs doing?]

Dear FORUM,

Re:Udupi, Karnataka: Discrimination against cook continues

/message/7915

There is a Positive People network and ICTC counselors in Udupi what they are

doing? They have to respond to this issue.

Bharat Shetty

e-mail: <bharatwrites2001@...>