Moreover, the victim was harassed for dowry for five years since she tied the knot as a 16–yr–old
Married life has been a struggle for this 21–year–old woman from Pimple Gurav, but she had taken it all in her stride and was looking forward to hearing the pitter–patter of tiny feet in her house. However, she was in for the shock of her life when she discovered that she was HIV positive during her first trimester check–up.My husband was HIV positive even before we got married and this fact was hidden from me. After the wedding, my in–laws started harassing me over dowry. They wanted me to get Rs 1.5 lakh from my parents to help my husband set up a business.

And when I conceived and went for a check–up, I realised that my husband had passed the deadly infection to me too. This is what the victim had to say when she walked into the Sangvi police station on Tuesday.

What The Police Says
What Abbas and his family did is inhuman. They had no right whatsoever to deceive and betray the victim. Abbas life was already in shambles and by their deeds they have ruined her life too. After she lodged an FIR, we filed a case of dowry harassment, assault, intimidation, threat and cheating against all the people she has named. She has lodged an FIR against her husband Abbas, father–in–law Firoze, mother–in–law Rabia, brother–in–law Amjad and a relative who arranged her marriage, hiding Abbas HIV status.

Hailing from Vijaynagar area, the victim was just 16 years old when she married Abbas. Her FIR narrates a sordid saga of how her life turned into a living tragedy. The victim said in her FIR, I married Abbas in December 2003 and went to live with him and his family in Pimple Gurav. Within a couple of years after the marriage, my husband and inlaws began demanding that my parents pay dowry of Rs 1.5 lakh so that Abbas can start his own business. When I declined to ask for the money from my parents, they began harassing me.

She went on to allege, I conceived three months ago. When I went for my first–trimester check–up at Sassoon Hospital, doctors informed me that I was HIV positive. I then confronted Abbas and he admitted that he was an HIV carrier even before we married and that was hidden from me and my family when our marriage was arranged.

She said, My troubles increased after that. My husband and in–laws would abuse me every now and then. They would also issue threats of dire consequences if I met my parents. They said they want me die at their home and nowhere else. I somehow managed to escape from their clutches and took refuge at my parents house.

Inspector in–charge Vijaykumar Sawant said, What Abbas and his family has done is inhuman. They had no right whatsoever to deceive and betray the victim. Abbas life was already in shambles and by their deeds they have ruined her life too. After she lodged an FIR, we filed a case of dowry harassment, assault, intimidation , threat and cheating against all the people she has named. The law will take its own course.

Govt Mum on Compulsory Tests
Pre–marital HIV testing can help avoid such problems and save many lives, but the state government has ruled out mandatory HIV tests before marriage in the state, saying it would only add to the social and ethical problems associated with AIDS. It has said in its defence that the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines do not allow forcible testing. Mah figures among the top three states in India with about 1.5 to 2 per cent of the adult population falling prey to the disease.


Source: Times of India