Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: A surge of HIV infections has hit Assam prisons. Over the past four months, 226 inmates across 31 different facilities tested positive for the virus. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma ordered a deep probe into the spread.
Sarma confirmed the government is taking these infections seriously. He plans to review how prisoners catch the virus while in custody. The state will guarantee medical care for those affected. "I have also been informed that one person has been identified as HIV-positive. We have taken the matter seriously, and I believe the Gauhati High Court is also seized of the issue," Sarma stated.
Sribhumi District Jail remains a major trouble spot. Eleven prisoners there, including one woman, tested positive. The facility is bursting at the seams. It holds 445 people despite a capacity of only 187. Most infected prisoners face charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
The AIDS Control Committee monitors these jails. They provide regular counseling and care to the infected. Magistrate Anwesha Khersha oversees Sribhumi District Jail. She confirms that staff refer critical undertrial cases to Silchar Medical College for advanced medical help.
Updated at 1st September 2026 at 10:01pm
Records indicate the infections occurred between April and July. Officials link nearly 95 percent of these cases to the use of injected drugs.
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