HIV+ kid, his siblings denied admission to a school

Allahabad (UP), Aug 28 (ANI): An eight-year-old child and his siblings carrying HIV positive virus were denied admission to a school in Belamundi, roughly 50 km from here.

Along with him, two of his siblings were also refused admission.

According to the school's principal, he was forced by parents of other children studying in same school to dismiss them.

"Villagers were very much afraid of the HIV positive child and his siblings studying in the school. They were worried that their children too will get affected. So they built up pressure on us and asked us to dismiss them from school," said Raghvendra Nath Tripathi, principal.

The plight of the three children does not end here. Their parents died of AIDS a few years ago and now they are staying with their uncle, who has little means to raise them.

"School authorities send away all three children from school and disallowed their entry inside the school. Children are now staying at home only. We are afraid if we try to send them again they might get furious and fight," said Dharam Narayan Panda, child's uncle.

This incident exposes the tall claims of the state and the Central Government that they are helping AIDS patients. By Virendra Pathak (ANI)