Bride saved from HIV just in time at Nagalladibba village

Rajahmundry: Timely intervention by officials helped save a bride from being infected with HIV at Nagalladibba village of Penumantra mandal in West Godavari.

According to women and child welfare authorities, the 23-year-old groom, hailing from Nagalladibba village, married his relative from Somarajucheruvu village on February 16.

The elders solemnised the marriage and fixed the auspicious time for the couple to consummate their relationship at 10.40 pm on February 18 and made arrangements accordingly.

However, on February 18 at about 7.30 pm, the women and child welfare officials received a telephone call from an unidentified person who said that the groom was infected with HIV since some time.

The officials, along with the police, rushed to the village and sent the groom to the area hospital at Tadepalligudem for tests.

The reports proved the unidentified caller was right. Earlier, attempts by the groom to go to the Gulf to eke out a livelihood proved futile as he failed the medical test twice. The officials maintain that the family members of the groom were not aware of the groom’s health status.

West Godavari women and child welfare project director G. Chandrasekhar Rao said, “We counselled the groom and also his family members. Later, the elders from both sides agreed to annul the marriage.”

Meanwhile, Penugonda police said that the bride refused to lodge a complaint against the groom and hence no case was booked.