Behrampore, Oct. 17: Two HIV positive persons, campaigning together for AIDS prevention in villages, tied the knot in an NGO’s office recently.

Habibur Rahaman, 32, who works with the Network for People Living with HIV Positive, met Parveena Bibi, 25, one-and-a-half years ago when she approached the NGO for treatment. Parveena later joined the organisation’s campaign with him.

Two months ago, he proposed to her. Parveena agreed after Habibur, whose first wife died of AIDS six years ago, promised to take care of her four-year-old daughter Baharunnisa from her first marriage.

Habibur, a resident of Basirhat in North 24-Parganas, was detected HIV positive eight years ago and is undergoing treatment.

“My first wife had a heart problem and was hospitalised in Basirhat. She was infected with HIV in the hospital probably through some injection needle. By the time she died, I had already been infected with the virus,” said Habibur, who is the district co-ordinator of the NGO for five years now.

Parveena, a resident of Chumrigachha village in Behrampore of Murshidabad, said: “I was married to Iqbal Sheikh six years ago. He used to work as a mason in Mumbai and was detected with AIDS two years ago. He died soon after. My in-laws drove me out of the house after my husband’s death. My daughter is, however, not affected by HIV.”

She said after Habibur proposed, her mother met him. “My mother likes him. We realised only a HIV positive would marry another.”

After hearing the two had agreed to marry, officials of the NGO told the couple that the marriage would be registered in their office. “We also had their blood samples tested at the School of Tropical Medicine, where both tested positive again,” said Ashis Kumar Dutta, counsellor with the NGO. The marriage took place on September 20.

The chief medical officer of health of Murshidabad Sachchidananda Sarkar said this was the first time such a marriage had taken place in Bengal. “We have no previous record of two HIV positive persons marrying.”

District health authorities have hailed the marriage. “As both are HIV positive, villagers are flocking to see them together. We think their words will have greater impact,” said Nirmal Saha, a medical officer with the Behrampore General Hospital.