Eunuchs are emerging as a high-risk group spreading HIV/AIDS in Bengal, a study has noted. And the highest number of eunuch ?sites? or ?pockets? in the state have been identified in Calcutta.

The state health directorate study ? Mapping of Population Groups Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS ? said several eunuchs have become HIV carriers through unprotected sex. The possibility of infection from them is very high, as they move from one place to another in groups.

Awakened by the findings, the health directorate has launched an HIV/AIDS intervention programme (which includes distribution of free condoms) and an income-generation programme for the community.

The study has spotted 117 eunuch pockets across the state. In Calcutta alone, there are 20. The maximum number of eunuchs, 275, have been located in West Midnapore.

?The mobility of the eunuch groups and unprotected sexual practices make them highly vulnerable to the disease. We have launched an intervention programme to control the situation. The issue also involves all-round development of the community,? said S. Suresh Kumar, director of State HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Society.

The study reveals that most eunuchs are transsexuals, who had castrated themselves voluntarily. They are a close-knit community and each group is led by a ?Guruma?. Several eunuchs, the study has pointed out, engage in unprotected intercourse with men, referred to as parikhs by the community, against money.

?That is why eunuchs are getting infected. As most clients have families, they are eventually spreading the virus to their wives,? said project coordinator Sanjib Chakraborty.

The intervention programme is primarily aimed at introducing eunuchs to alternative livelihood. Eight intervention centres have been set up ? including in Calcutta, Baruipur, Serampore, Bongaon and Ranaghat ? and sessions on health education are being regularly held.

Efforts are also on to locate groups that may have been missed during the survey.

The programme is being conducted by Manas Bangla, a conglomerate of seven NGOs that are working for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.

?We have little information about eunuchs, as they are very secretive, living in groups and sub-groups. We need to take the Gurumas into confidence, else the project will fail. Our aim is to bring them to the mainstream by opening up alternative income opportunities before them,? said project coordinator Chakraborty.