Shillong, Nov 4: Following recent remarks by Congress Party leaders linking the rise in HIV cases in Meghalaya to alleged government failure, Barry Leslie Kharmalki, an activist who has been living with HIV for 16 years and has been clean of drugs for 19, issued a statement today calling out political opportunism and ignorance surrounding the issue.
Kharmalki, a well-known advocate for the rights of people who use drugs and a leading voice of the Meghalaya Users Forum, did not hold back in his response.
“So now, suddenly, the AICC (All India Congress Committee) has discovered that HIV and drug use exist in Meghalaya. Bravo — what a revelation! Took them only two decades to notice what communities have been shouting about all along,” he remarked.
Drawing from his years of experience working on the ground, Kharmalki said he has witnessed countless lives lost to systemic neglect and stigma.
“I’ve seen people die waiting for ART (antiretroviral therapy) medicines when supply chains failed. I’ve seen mothers living with HIV being denied hospital care because of stigma. I’ve seen children born with HIV grow up stronger than most politicians who claim to ‘care.’” He argued that the reported “rise” in HIV cases should not be mistaken for failure but rather as a reflection of increased access to testing and treatment services.
“Let’s be real – what’s rising is testing, treatment and truth. When people finally have access to testing, when more are linked to ART and OST (opioid substitution therapy) services, of course the numbers look higher. That’s what happens when you stop sweeping reality under the rug,” he said.
Kharmalki further noted that progress has been made through harm reduction programmes, viral load testing and linkages with hepatitis services, which are the outcome of years of effort from communities, not political gestures.
“When I started, people were dying silently — untested, untreated, and unheard. Today, we have harm reduction programs and viral load testing. That’s progress, not failure. But I guess it’s easier to throw blame than to understand data.”
Emphasising that he represents no political party, Kharmalki said his only allegiance is to the people.
“I’m not a fan of any politician. I’m a fan of helping people. I don’t do this for party points or photo ops. I do it because I’ve seen mothers lose sons to overdose and fathers die of AIDS because they were too ashamed to seek help,” he said. “Talk politics if it makes you feel powerful. But out here in the real world, we don’t play party games — we save lives. Because when you’ve held someone’s hand as they take their last breath, you stop caring about who’s in power. You start caring about who’s actually doing the work. You all will go to hell — treat people right! These problems didn’t start yesterday, and they won’t end with one government. HIV and drugs are not political problems — they’re human problems.”
