Indian sues over 'fake' HIV tests

By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Calcutta

Blood donations are now reported to be dropping

An Indian man is suing West Bengal's state government for negligence over the alleged mis-selling of kits used to test for HIV/Aids and hepatitis.

Tapas Sengupta fears his son, who has thalassaemia, could be among thousands to have received contaminated blood.

Earlier this week police said hundreds of thousands of fake blood-testing kits had been sold in West Bengal.

Doctors say this led to infected people being given the go-ahead to give blood, possibly infecting others.

Two men being held in connection with the sale of the kits deny charges of forgery and malpractice.

'Upset'

In his petition filed at the Calcutta High Court, Mr Sengupta said negligence on the part of the government had endangered many lives.

He said his 18-year-old son was one of thousands of people who received blood transfusions.

"I am upset because he may been given contaminated blood by donors with deadly diseases which passed the test by faulty blood test kits."

Mr Sengupta said he was concerned for the future not only of his son, but of many others like him who may have been given contaminated blood.

He said West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya and Health Minister Surya Kanta Mishra should take moral responsibility for the scandal and step down from office.

The scandal in the state relates to the supply of hundreds of thousands of kits which were wrongly used to test for HIV/Aids and hepatitis.

The kits - designed to test for pregnancy and other conditions - were sold to hospitals and blood banks.

Doctors say many patients they tested with the wrong kits were told they were healthy - when in fact they had HIV or hepatitis.