Kerala: Benson, last surviving member of HIV+ family that attracted national attention, found dead
The 26-year-old, who survived social ostracism and discrimination, allegedly ended his life over a failed love affair, the local police said.
In 2003, the HIV-positive children attracted national attention when they were denied admission to a local school in their village following protests by parents of other students. Benson, 26, once the poster boy of Kerala’s fight against the discrimination faced by HIV-positive individuals, was found dead at his relative’s home in Kollam district’s Kottarakkara on Saturday. The youth, who survived social ostracism and discrimination, allegedly ended his life over a failed love affair, the local police said.
The native of Kaithakuzhi in Kollam was the only surviving member of a family of four – all of whom were HIV positive – and worked at a private firm owned by his relative, officers said.
Benson lost his father C K Chandy in 1997. Chandy had reportedly contracted the disease during his stay in Mumbai. Three years later, his wife Princy too died, leaving their minor children Benson and Bency under the care of grandparents Geevarghese and Salamma.
In 2003, the HIV-positive children attracted national attention when they were denied admission to a local school in their village following protests by parents of other students. Later, the siblings were able to attend school after a public awareness drive, which included photo-ops with celebrities and film personalities, who hugged them to dispel common apprehensions about the condition.
Following protests by Geevarghese in front of the state secretariat against the discrimination faced by the siblings, the Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS), Hindustan Latex Ltd and the Clinton Foundation began to sponsor their costly medicines, besides providing other aid.
In 2005, Geevarghese passed away, leaving the kids in the care of grandmother Salamma. Public support and government intervention helped Benson and Bency win the battle against discrimination, but the older sibling, Bency, died at the age of 16 in 2010. After Salamma too passed away last year, Benson had moved to the house of a relative in Kottarakkara.
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