Stigma kills NOT HIV!
India-The police have started their investigation into the death of a 32-year old person who had committed suicide at Mahadev Jawain village in Allahabad district on Monday after allegedly facing months of humiliation from his family and villagers for being HIV-positive.
Chintamani Vishwakarma, a resident of Mahadev Jawain village under Koraon Block in the trans-Yamuna area, had committed suicide by setting himself on fire.
He used to shuffle between his village and Mumbai, where he worked at a small factory. In August 2009, he tested positive for HIV at the state-owned SRN hospital in Allahabad.
Chintamani then informed his brother Chote Lal, who works as labourer. The family is economically weak.
Gradually the news of his HIV-positive status spread in the village.
“Wherever Chintamani went, he met with scorn. He then began confining himself in his room,” said Raj Kumar, a resident of the village. According to the villagers, Chintamani was very upset for the last several days and even refused to eat.
He set himself on fire to escape the pain.
Imagine that readers.
