Tamil news channel Thanthi TV broadcast a false report claiming that more than 7,000 college students in Karnataka had tested positive for HIV and that the state government had made HIV testing mandatory in colleges. Despite the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) officially debunking the claims, the channel has neither removed the report nor issued an apology.
The report, aired by Thanthi TV, claimed that thousands of college students in Karnataka were infected with HIV and asserted that the state government had ordered HIV testing camps across colleges in response. It further linked the alleged rise in infections among students to the decision to conduct testing camps.
HIV | 7000 கல்லூரி மாணவர்களுக்கு HIV – நாடே அதிர்ச்சியில்… உஷார் உஷார்… அலர்ட் கொடுக்கும் சேதி#hiv #specialreport #karnataka #collegestudents #thanthitv pic.twitter.com/uPifuzDDLQ
— Thanthi TV (@ThanthiTV) July 30, 2026
However, the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) has categorically rejected these claims as “false and misleading.”
In an official clarification dated 29 July 2026, KSAPS stated that it does not maintain HIV data based on categories such as students, making the widely circulated claim that “7,000 students are HIV-positive” factually incorrect. The agency clarified that the figure being misrepresented actually refers to HIV-positive individuals within the broader 18-35 age group, not college students.
KSAPS also refuted reports that HIV testing had been made compulsory in colleges. Citing the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017, it reiterated that mandatory HIV testing is prohibited, and that testing can only be conducted with an individual’s informed consent. The organisation said it is merely conducting awareness programmes and encouraging voluntary testing across colleges and other institutions.
The agency further noted that around 56,000 people in Karnataka are estimated to be unaware of their HIV status, underscoring the need for awareness and voluntary screening rather than coercive testing.
Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) clarified that reports claiming 7,000 college students in the state are HIV-positive & that HIV testing has been made mandatory in colleges are false.
Will thanthi tv apologise ? Or atleast publish a clarification ? And some media… https://t.co/j68wmgNGpB pic.twitter.com/n7oqOyh9BV
— kishore k swamy 🇮🇳 (@sansbarrier) July 31, 2026
Despite the official clarification, Thanthi TV has neither withdrawn the report from its social media platforms nor issued a correction or apology. The report continues to remain accessible, even though the Karnataka government’s nodal HIV prevention agency has publicly dismissed its central claims.
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