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

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.