Virginity tests of brides at mass wedding

At a mass wedding in Madhya Pradesh just before the ceremony was to begin a wouldbe bride developed labour pains shocking those present Virginity and pregnancy tests were ordered on the 152 prospective brides of whom 14 were detected to be pregnantThe incident that left activists and tribals fuming occurred recently when the brides were assembled for a mass marriage function in Madhya Pradeshs Shahdol district held under the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojna Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhans pet scheme aimed to help girls from poor families tie the knot at government expenseMarriages under the scheme are solemnised free of cost and all arrangements are made by the district administration Every couple is also provided assistance in the form of household items to the tune of Rs 5000On that day a wouldbe bride developed labour pains minutes before the exchange of garlands The organisers immediately stopped the mass wedding and ordered pregnancy tests on the 152 brides assembled for the ceremonyThe tests revealed 14 of them were pregnantAs many as 14 girls were detected to be pregnant during the tests while another girl was found to be a minor Shahdol district hospitals senior gynaecologist Reena Gautam saidLater 138 couples belonging to different religions tied the knot under the schemeLocal legislator Sunder Singh the district collector and other government officials were also present during the occasion sources saidA local resident alleged that fake marriages were being held He said Middlemen produce recently married couples as unmarried get their marriage solemnised at such functions and then take commission from themFaced with allegations of solemnising fake marriages the local authorities ordered the virginity and pregnancy tests But the move to weed out alreadymarried brides has kicked up a storm with activists taking up the issueFirst I refused to undergo the test but an officer told me that I would be allowed inside the mandap place where Hindu marriages are solemnised only after I am found eligible virgin and not pregnant a 20yearold woman told activists who toured the area after the incidentSachin Jain of the Right to Food campaign working for the cause of tribals in many parts of the state told IANS There are better and more discreet ways of doing this These tests are an insult to womanhood and it shows how the state machinery violates the human rights and dignity and privacy of womenThe officials should know that in many tribal communities there is a culture of boys and girls living together before they decide to marry Jain saidIt is yet another instance of insensitive behaviour of the grassroots bureaucracy of the state which stands third among all states of the country in violation of tribal rights Jain addedAmita Chapra member of the State Women Commission said The local Bega tribals were furious Even if assuming that some are misusing the scheme it does not mean that others can be subjected to humiliationChapra said that the commission would take up the matter with the chief ministerShahdol collector Neeraj Debe said I have asked my subordinates and district medical authorities to look into reported incidents of virginity and pregnancy tests and action will be taken against those found guiltyThe state government has allotted Rs 25 crore in the budget for the Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana The government has also increased the schemes grant amount payable to a girl after marriage from Rs 5000 to Rs 6500 from January 2009 As per the states Economic Survey 200809 88460 marriages were solemnised from April 2006 to March 2009