WOMEN IN SPONSORED WEDDING CLAIM VIRGINITY TEST DONE

By P. Vijian

NEW DELHI, July 20 (Bernama) -- At least two tribal brides-to-be confirmed
that they were subjected to a virginity test just before a state-sponsored mass
wedding in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

The two victims (names withheld) told a visiting National Women's Commission
(NCW) which arrived in the village of Sohagpur to probe allegations that several
young tribal women were instructed by local officials to undergo the virginity
test as a pre-condition for a free marriage scheme.

One of the women also claimed that an officer demanded a 500-rupee
(RM37)bribe to declare that she was a virgin in order to be eligible for the
free marriage, reported Indian television channel IBN7.

The virginity test sparked off of a political debate in India late last
month when women attending the mass wedding ceremony were asked to undergo a
medical examination after one of the girls was alleged to have delivered a baby
at the marriage venue.

The organisers then ordered pregnancy and virginity tests on the prospective
brides to stop married women from taking advantage of the free marriage scheme.


Of the 168 women who attended the mass wedding, at least 14 were found to be
pregnant when the medical tests were carried out just before the marriage took
place.

Under the state's scheme, all expenses are usually borne by the organisers
and the couples were given about 6,000 rupees (RM450) after the marriage.

On June 30, some 138 couples tied the knot under the scheme in Sohagpur.

Politicians and women's rights activists protested that such tests were a
humiliation and violation of human rights and infringed on the privacy of a
woman and wanted authorities to probe the incident, which led the NCW to
investigate.

In India, it is common practice for social organisations, politicians and
religious groups to host free mass weddings, usually for those from the
economically backward communities.

-- BERNAMA