At a time when neglect and social ostracism for HIV-positive people are rife, a village in Uttar Pradesh has rallied around an HIV-positive woman. Praveen Devi (30), a resident of Tuksan village in Hathras, has been elected to the local block development committee so she can battle a private hospital in Aligarh, where she allegedly contracted the infection through a blood transfusion.
The people voted for her even though she never came out for canvassing. “We never cared what she will do for the village, we just wanted her to win the election to fight her own battle,” said Dinesh Chowdhary, a villager.
“We hoped that after winning, she may get support to fight her case. No one listens to the common man,” said Mukesh Kumar, the pradhan of Tuksan.
Before Praveen was declared elected on October 31, the Health Department authorities did not listen to her. Now things have started moving, with the intervention of state Power minister Ramveer Upadhyay. “I have asked the Aligarh Commissioner to look into the matter,” said Upadhyay. Aligarh’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Uma Kant Gupta has formed a three-member committee to probe the issue.
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