KOLKATA: An HIV-positive couple, who had come to terms with their affliction and were preparing for a new life, were assaulted and thrown out their North 24-Parganas locality by relatives and neighbors on Saturday afternoon.

The battered couple went to police, who helped them return to their home. There is now a police picket in the locality in Ghola. But the stigma of social ostracism in an area barely 30km from the city centre is a grim pointer to the taboo that still surrounds the disease. Fortunately, some neighbours have come forward to support them.

The couple has a six-year-old daughter, who is not HIV-positive. They were making preparations to secure her life when their own blood relatives and one-time friends turned on them.

The husband, a small-time trader, is 35 years old and his wife 32. She was the first to be detected with HIV during a routine test during her pregnancy in 2006. Her husband was also asked to undergo the test and he, too, tested positive.

After the initial shock, they took it bravely and went through the entire process of medication and counseling. They decided to keep their condition under the wraps when doctors told them that they could lead a normal life under medication and care.

“The doctor who is treating us advised us of the precautions to take to prevent transmission. We have a daughter who is not infected. We have to take precautions to prevent the disease from spreading to her. The doctor also told us to start saving for antiretroviral therapy,” the wife told TOI.

A few days ago, her husband’s younger brother stumbled upon their secret. He lives in the same house with his wife and two children. As soon as he came to know that his brother and sister-in-law were HIV-positive, he made life miserable for them.

According to the couple, he kept demanding that they leave the house because they were putting him and his family at risk.

“No amount of reasoning would convince him that we were taking all the necessary precautions since we also have a child. He and his wife would abuse and even physically assault us. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, my brother-in-law summoned a few locals who are known to him. After my husband returned from work, they caught hold of him and threw him out of the house. When I rushed to his rescue, one of them hit me on the head with a stick and I started bleeding,” she added.

Outnumbered and getting no assistance from locals, the couple and their daughter went to the police and narrated their trauma. Officers immediately sent a team to escort them back to the locality.

“The couple says they are HIV-positive and that they were beaten up by the husband’s brother. We have taken down their complaint. We will take strong action against the accused,” said Barrackpore detective chief C Sudhakar.

When a police contingent accompanied the couple back to their house, the accused were nowhere to be found. After ensuring that the couple was safely in their house, police left a stern message with locals not to bother them in the future. Police are looking for the man’s brother and his associates involved in the attack. Sources say he has fled the area with his family.