JAIPUR, Dec 04, TEN Network | A minor girl, who was raped a few months back in the city by a serial sexual offender, has tested positive for HIV following the assault.
While the police seem confused and gave contradictory statements on whether the child or the accused had HIV, the minor’s parents showed the affirmative medical report, a copy of which is with TOI, when this reporter visited her family on Tuesday.
The family seems to have not fathomed the seriousness of the disease and said the child, who is just short of turning five years old, has to take medicines for the rest of her life. Speaking to TOI, the child’s mother said, “Just two days after the rape, a test was done for HIV and it was positive. Every month, we go to the hospital to get medicines. The doctor has very clearly told us that she will have to continue taking medication for the rest of her life. It is quite possible that the accused has also infected other survivors.” The medical report also clearly states that child’s “specimen is positive for HIV-1 antibodies”.
The girl is doing well and regularly going to school, said the family. “She goes to school and plays with other children. At present, she is not facing any health issues,” the mother said, alleging that the authorities have only given them half the promised compensation. She also said that the cops may not even be aware that the child had tested HIV positive.
The accused, who has a long criminal history, including sexual assaults on minors, is currently in jail.
When queried about the allegations on Tuesday, senior police officials gave contradictory statements. Initially, they appeared clueless about the matter and even tried to refute it.
Jaipur police commissioner Anand Shrivastav said, “The accused was not tested at the time of his arrest, and the medical report of one of his rape survivors tested negative for HIV.”
By evening, the statement was revised by the commissioner. “When the accused was arrested, we were not aware of the fact the he was HIV positive. We have now checked with jail authorities and confirmed that he is HIV positive and undergoing treatment.”
When TOI pointed to the minor’s medical report, officials conceded that while one minor girl had tested negative, the other was indeed HIV positive.
When questioned why the accused, a sexual predator who has served prison sentences for the same in the past, was not tested after the crime a few months back, the investigating officer told TOI, “We only test for HIV if we have prior knowledge that the accused is already infected. In the case of the minor girl who tested positive, the doctors did not inform us. The accused had also undergone medical examination, but nowhere was it mentioned that he was HIV positive.”
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
