Anatapur: HIV+ suspect 4-yr-old girl sent out of school

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HIV+ suspect 4-yr-old girl sent out of school

TNN, Aug 25, 2010, 12.28am IST

ANANTAPUR: In what could be a clear case of social boycott, a four-year-old girl

was sent out of a private school by parents of other students suspecting her to

be HIV-positive.

This shocking incident happened at Rao's English medium private school in

Vidyuthnagar area in Anantapur on Tuesday. Angry parents forced the school

management to send her out after photographs of her HIV-positive mother and

stepfather were splashed in local media a few days ago.

Though no medical tests had confirmed that the girl was HIV-positive, the irate

parents, who have been staging protests outside the school, forcibly took the

girl to a private clinic where the staff refused to conduct medical tests on

her. Later, they took her to the government hospital. They insisted that the

girl be sent out immediately.

It all started when the girl's mother M Lakshmi Devi married another

HIV-positive patient K Khader Vali on Aug 20 at the Congress office here in the

presence of agriculture minister N Raghuveera Reddy and MP A Venkatrami Reddy on

the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi's birth anniversary.

The girl was the daughter of Devi and M Kiran Kumar of Pulivendula in Kadapa

district. Kiran migrated to Anantapur and worked as a room boy in a lodge. He

was diagnosed as HIV-positive three years ago and died in March this year.

Devi took shelter at a private NGO since then and the NGO head Usharani, who

herself is HIV-positive, convinced Devi to enter into a wedlock with Vali. But

with the HIV-positive couple's marriage receiving wide coverage in the local

media, the parents swooped on the school and forcibly sent out the poor girl.

While Usharani urged the district officials to take stringent action against the

erring parents, district educational officer D Premanadam and II Town inspector

A Srinivasulu went to the school to convince the parents. When contacted, school

correspondent Madhav Rao said they have no objection to the girl studying since

she has not tested positive for HIV.

" Why should the poor girl be harassed for no fault of hers, " Usharani

questioned.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/HIV-suspect-4-yr-old-girl-sent\

-out-of-school-/articleshow/6425573.cms#ixzz0xeqAUE6l