Ostracised Indian AIDS Couple Plea for Euthanasia

An Indian couple suffering from AIDS has asked the country's president to allow them and their daughter to die through euthanasia as they were facing extreme harassment in their village.

Vijayshankar Pandey, who lives in the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, made the appeal to the president's on Saturday.

In the appeal he said he was fed up with local villagers beating them frequently and police not acting on their complaints. Euthanasia or mercy killing is banned in India.

"We are tired of going to (the) administration ... That's why we have sent a plea to the president to grant the entire family euthanasia," Pandey, who has sold a quarter of his farmland for treatment, said.

"We are tired because of the deadly disease and atrocities of the villagers. They enter our house and beat us and want to throw us out of our house," he added.

Local police said they were looking into the matter.

India has around 2.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS -- the world's third highest caseload after South Africa and Nigeria -- about 40 percent of them women.

Discrimination against AIDS victims in predominantly rural India is on the rise, families often disown HIV positive members and children with HIV/AIDS are frequently thrown out of schools.

AIDS activists say lack of awareness and widespread stigma and discrimination have contributed to paranoia about the virus, although the country reported its first case over 20 years ago.

India's federal government is mulling legislation to protect victims of HIV/AIDS against discrimination in society, at schools, offices and hospitals.