Click to play videoLatur: A school in Maharashtra's Latur district has asked eight HIV-positive students to leave after parents of other students protested their presence in the school.
Authorities say they had to take the decision after parents of other students stopped sending their children to the school.
Head Master, Zilla Parishad School Hasegaon said that out of 204 students, 147 are missing from school.
The parents’ fears are that their children would also be infected with the HIV if they mingled with the infected children.
The HIV-positive children are all orphans and were enrolled in the school through the efforts of a local NGO. After Network 18 reported the children's plight, the local administration sounded a warning.
The Latur district collector has declared that all development work in the area will be brought to a halt if the villagers refuse to relent and if this fails to move the village then legal action will be taken against members of the Gram Sabha.
Meanwhile, human rights activists are now demanding concrete action.
Activist Asim Sarode says, “There should be some law to stop the discrimination happening to the HIV/AIDS person. Secondly, we should think above awareness and think about the rights and duties of the common man.”
The authorities say they will ensure that the children are taken back but sweeping away the villagers' prejudice would be an uphill task.
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