A man was allegedly murdered because of his HIV status. | Photo: Tom Woodward Flickr
Four men accused of conspiring to murder a man because of his HIV status have had their murder charges dropped.
The victim known only as Anil, 38, was found murdered in his Thangasseri home in southern India in 2012. His throat had been slit and his possessions stolen.
Four men were charged with his murder, including Anil’s former lover Hyder Farook, 26.
The court heard the men allegedly conspired to kill Anil after he told Farook he was living with HIV.
Prosecutors plan to appeal the Kollam sessions court’s decision to throw out the murder charges.
‘The court depended on circumstantial evidences and DNA test to substantiate the charges as there were no witnesses in this case,’ the public prosecutor told Deccan Chronicle.
‘Two of the witnesses turned hostile during the trial.’
Farook however was given a two-year jail term for robbing Anil’s apartment. He was convicted for stealing Anil’s camera, laptop, cell phone and other valuables.
HIV and gay sex in India
Homosexual sex is criminalized under the infamous Section 377 on the Indian Penal Code. The Supreme Court of India is set to rule on the legality of the law in July, with many hopeful it will be overturned.
But HIV is a serious issue in India. It is one of ten countries in the Asia Pacific that accounts for 95% of new HIV cases.
