A release by IENP+ secretary Kangabam Anandi Devi stated that the organisation along with the people living with HIV and are on ARV drugs had been demonstrating agitations against the shortage of ARV drugs.

Following the agitations, the health minister invited the protesters for a meeting at his residence at Lamphelpat, at which the minister showed concern over the issue and assured that he will inform the representatives for a formal meeting with all the concerned stakeholders very soon to ensure that such unwanted incidents would not creep up in future, it continued.

However, since the meeting could not come to a specific conclusion in the interest of the PLHIVs on ART, the agitators decided to carry on with the protest demonstration and even launched a black badge on the third day of the ongoing agitation which was launched at Nongmeibung Nambram Chuthek, it maintained.

“Although the organisation appreciated the minister’s invitation and consideration, we are compelled to further launch the protest agitation indefinitely until the required monthly doses of ARV medicines are in the hands of those in need,” it read. The black badge campaign has been launched on Wednesday and it will be followed by different other forms of agitations, it added.