Uttar Pradesh: Seven transgender inmates test HIV positive in Pratapgarh jail

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Jail authorities in Pratapgarh have been put on alert after seven transgender inmates lodged in the district prison tested HIV positive in preliminary screening, officials said on Thursday.

As reported by news agency PTI, the District Jail Superintendent Rishabh Dwivedi said that the Kotwali Nagar police had sent 13 transgender persons to jail on Sunday in connection with a case of assault.

The District Jail Superintendent Rishabh Dwivedi said that the medical college team then conducted health examinations and collected blood samples of all inmates, reported PTI.

He emphasised, "The preliminary HIV screening reports of seven transgender inmates have come back positive. As a precautionary measure, they have been kept in a separate barrack."

"While the screening test reports have been sent to the government. Fresh samples have also been sent for confirmatory testing, but the final reports are awaited," he added.

UP Police arrests man for killing his parents and wife

Earlier on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a man for allegedly killing his parents, wife, and daughter at their house. According to the police, the accused killed his family over financial stress and domestic discord ahead of his daughter's wedding next month in the Etah district, news agency PTI reported.

Officers said that the accused, Kamal Singh, was taken into custody after the members of his family were found dead inside their two-storey house in the Kotwali Nagar Police Station area on Monday. He has since been sent to jail.

The victims have been identified as father Ganga Singh (70), mother Shyama Devi (65), wife Ratna Devi (43), and daughter Jyoti (23). As per the reports, Shyama Devi was found alive initially and taken to a medical college, where she succumbed to her injuries.

DIG Police Prabhakar Chaudhary, while briefing about the shocking incident, said that the crime was not a result of any conspiracy or external attack but stemmed from mounting financial pressure and family tensions.

"During questioning, the accused confessed that he was under severe financial stress related to his daughter Jyoti's wedding, which was fixed for next month. The family needed around Rs 4 lakh, and this became a recurring point of conflict," said Chaudhary.

According to the police, the accused returned home on January 19, following which an argument broke out during lunch after his wife, Ratna Devi, questioned him about the wedding expenses.

(With inputs from PTI)