Beed: Man 'Ostracised' Over Rumours Of Deceased Daughter’s HIV-Positive Status

A labourer from Beed district of Maharashtra has claimed that his family is being ostracised amid a rumour that his married daughter died of HIV-related causes.

The labourer, a resident of Beedsangvi village, blamed a policeman and a government doctor for his plight and demanded action. He has submitted memorandums to the district superintendent of police and the district collector.

He claimed that his daughter had been harassed by her in-laws since May 2023, prompting her to lodge a police complaint in October 2024.

"My daughter died on December 13. When she was taken to the government hospital in Ashti, the doctors behaved rudely with us. A policeman told our relatives that my daughter was HIV positive and asked them not to attend her last rites. A doctor also said the same," the man claimed in a memorandum.

The labourer alleged that police colluded with the in-laws of his deceased daughter. Local police didn't act on his complaint of his daughter's harassment by her in-laws, he alleged.

He claimed his son and another daughter started living separately from the family due to the stigma associated with his other daughter's death.

He also claimed that villagers have stopped interacting with his family and they are almost ostracised.

Beed superintendent of police Navneet Kanwat told that the policeman named by the labourer only conveyed what the doctor had told him (about the purported HIV-positive status of the woman).

"He conveyed the information only to the father of the deceased woman and not to others. Prima facie, his intention doesn't seem wrong. Moreover, a policeman is not an expert on this subject," he added.

A district civil hospital official said an enquiry would conclude by this evening.