An unfortunate Incident:-

Yesterday, my friend narrated a real life story which left me dumbstruck. The said incident happened a few days a go. A 23 year old girl who was studying in one of the premier fashion institutes decided to shift her place of residence. She was in her final year and was expecting a placement in a multinational. The apartment she had selected was in one of the posh localities of the city.

On the eventful day when the girl was shifting in her new apartment, a man approached her and inquired about some random flat. She answered “I’m new to this place and therefore I wont be able to help you, sir.” A couple of minutes later the man came again. She was standing on the door and before she could realize anything suspicious, the man tried to push her in the flat. She started screaming but no one came out. She resisted and gave him a tough fight. Unfortunately he injected her with some needle and ran away.

Although the girl was taken immediately to the hospital, it is not yet certain what was exactly administered to her. The girl and her family have to wait for another 90 days to discover, if the needle was HIV infected.

HIV terrorism: Overview:

This is certainly not the only case reported so far. The pin prick attacks in cinema halls have become very popular. In these attacks the victim is usually poked with needles which are hidden in the seats. The syringes are attached with notes which convey messages like ‘ WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD’, ‘NOW YOUR ARE ONE OF US; HIV POSITIVE’ and ‘WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF AIDS’.  These attacks have been experienced  all through out the world. In Britain some alleged  gangs have been found sticking HIV-infected needles into people and then handing them a card mentioning ‘Welcome To The World of HIV’. Similar incidents were also reported in USA. Robbers have also used this technique of threatening the victims and getting their demands fulfilled. In some cases the warnings were found false where as in some they needles were actually HIV infected.

The myth

Most of the people believe that these are gimmick attacks carried out by the perpetrators to inflict fear in the minds of their victims. They contend that a virus is unable to survive outside the hosts body and therefore no such virus can be injected into the victim’s body. Although the above contentions are valid, they ignore a pertinent point. Most of the viruses are capable of surviving if preserved with some blood. The blood keeps these viruses alive and hence they can be easily transmitted to the victims body. However the length of time the HIV can survive outside the body depends upon the conditions under which the fluid is kept and the amount of virus contained in the body fluid.

HIV is a fragile virus that dies slowly in the room temperature. It is dried by the air eventually. However, HIV can survive for several days even in minute amount of blood as the blood is trapped in a syringe and the air cannot dry it out.

Punishment:

If caught, the offender may be prosecuted under Section 307(Attempt to Murder),  Section 299 (Culpable Homicide) or Section 300 (Murder) of the Indian Penal Code depending upon the facts and circumstances of the case. The Section 357-A which was added in the Cr.PC by the recent amendment may be evoked for the benefit of these victims. The victims may therefore avail certain benefits. They may not only demand adequate compensation but would also be reimbursed for their medical expenses.

Conclusion

There a two contrary views that emerge while we discuss the pin-prick attacks. One suggests that the chances of HIV transmission through such needles is negligible on the other hand the other belief contends that such attacks must not be ignored. The government along with the cinema hall and club owners must be vigilant. The individuals must also take all necessary precautions. The critical issue to be considered in these cases is the psychological condition of the victim. The feeling of being an HIV patient or the plight of being punished for no fault, shatters the victim completely. The anxiety and terror that conquers his mind prevents him from leading a perfectly normal life. The victim and his family have to wait for period of at least 3 months to figure out if he is HIV infected.

It is true that “The person who does it acquires nothing but the victim on whom it is done loses everything”.

The post is a duplication of already published article on www.legaldrift.com