Kendrapara, May 16: Superstitions are often worse than killer diseases. A 50-year-old HIV positive man has moved the local police accusing his siblings of driving him out of his paternal house.

Abandoned by his near and dear ones, the infected man from Dhanmandal village under Aul police jurisdiction is undergoing an agonising experience.

The man is now living on the charity of others after being hounded out of his house by his relatives.

This is not a solitary instance. If the ground-level feedback pouring in from civil society groups is any indication, HIV positive people are regularly treated inhumanely by friends and family.

The man, who contracted the disease seven years ago, is leading a condemned life. Superstitious and ignorant family members preferred to maintain a safe distance from the sick man.

“Now, his brothers have driven him out of house,” said Binayak Swain, member of a local civil society group.

Stigma and superstitious notions associated with the deadly disease continue to rule the roost despite concerted efforts from various quarters.

Superstitious villagers nurture the belief that the disease is air-borne and the infected person is a potential threat to the locality. However, the victim is being allowed to stay at a village youth club. Some of the conscious villagers provide him two square meals a day, Swain added.

“Police have received the complaint lodged by the 50-year-old man. The complainant alleged that he was driven out of the house by his brothers. We are investigating the case. It appears to be a property-related litigation,” said Rama Chandra Goud, sub-divisional police officer, Pattamundai.

“We are looking into whether he was ill-treated for being a carrier of HIV/AIDS virus. Discrimination and ill-treatment of such carriers is an offence under the law,” Goud added.

Health authorities were, however, caught unawares by the incident.

Orissa State AIDS Control Society joint director Bijoy Kumar Swain said: “It’s shocking to find such discriminatory attitude towards HIV/AIDS infected persons by their blood relations.”

“The matter is being investigated. We are sending a team of counsellors to address the plight of the victim,” Swain added.