The success of such events has meant that state governments and political groups have also joined the fray. As a consequence mass marriages in recent years have constantly courted controversy like instances of minor girls being married off at such functions. The latest in a series of such controversies was generated at a mass wedding in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh where hundreds of would-be brides reportedly underwent virginity tests, tests they were informed of only when they reached the venue. Many were apparently bullied into the ‘medical examination’ as they were told that their refusal would mean that they would be denied their wedding gifts worth 6,500 rupees (approximately $132) and even the wedding ceremony. Under the state-run scheme marriages are solemnized free of cost, all arrangements are made by the district administration and every couple is also provided assistance in the form of household articles. Each woman underwent an extensive physical examination before being given a special badge which allowed them to participate in the ceremony. Almost all of the prospective brides who were from poor, tribal families complained of the shame and humiliation they felt following the exercise.
This scheme, started by the state government in 2006, was to aid girls from poor families to get married on the government expense. The denials and explanations have come fast from the local administration. While some officials refute that the virginity tests took place there were others who said the tests were conducted to ensure that “…the women were not pregnant.” Still others said many of the would-be brides did not have ‘proper documents’ and looked “dubious” which led to the necessity for a doctor’s examination of the candidates. What really prompted this controversial measure is believed to be the earlier incident of a woman going into labor pains during the course of the wedding ceremony sending shock waves throughout her community.
For most communities in the traditional Indian context the bride’s virginity is expected. With concepts of honor and dignity deeply woven into women’s role in society and closely tied to her sexuality, pre-marital sex is frowned upon and a young woman’s virginity is highly prized. Juxtaposed against this are powerful concepts of male virility and masculinity which sends confusing signals to young boys and girls especially in rural areas with fewer avenues for information on sexuality.
Still other accusations surfaced following the controversy with allegations that ‘fake marriages’ were being held since “middlemen produce recently married couples as unmarried” and earn their ‘cut’ or commission from the government’s financial assistance to the couples. It is believed that these allegations prompted the local authorities to order the virginity and pregnancy tests in their desperate attempts to weed out already-married brides kicking up a storm in the bargain. Of the virginity and pregnancy tests ordered on the 152 prospective brides, 14 were pregnant while one girl turned out to be a minor. In the process violating the privacy of every young woman waiting to be married. Thus the ‘virginity test’ which for centuries has been traditionally conducted in the groom’s household to test the chastity of the new bride was converted into a state-sponsored circus.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the state government even as the national woman rights watchdog, the National Commission for Women (NCW) launched an investigation. On its part, state government insists the ‘procedural medical examinations’ aimed to keep the event free from any fraudulent entries. Even as the incident shows signs of taking on political colors as two tribal girls, who had alleged that a virginity test was conducted on them ahead of the mass marriage function later retracted their statement the truth is that the state machinery violated the human rights and dignity of the women present.
Is the concerned state department then perpetuating the notion that only virgins should be married and those non-conforming to this primary requirement can be denied the courtesy of mass wedding? And yet the scheme claims to be applicable to poor unmarried, widowed, divorced or abandoned women who have found a prospective spouse. How does that explain a virginity test? While a bride’s virginity is a contentious issue in traditional Indian context, activists working amongst the tribal communities claim that many such tribal communities actually have a culture of boys and girls living together before they decide to marry.
A study titled ‘Youth in India, Situation and Needs’, conducted across six states representing different geographical and socio-cultural parts of the country carried out by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai and the Population Council, New Delhi comments on the incidence of premarital sex amongst the youth. According to the survey, around 19 percent of rural and 10 percent of urban male youth indulge in pre-marital sex. And young men from certain tribal regions showed a higher incidence than the national average. Eight percent of young rural women indulge in pre-marital sex as compared to two percent urban female youth.
Could then also be a case of the state administration’s own disconnect with local cultural practices; or the actions of an insensate grassroots bureaucracy who, in its attempts to nab ‘fraudsters,’ infringed upon both tribal and women’s rights. With the government’s financial aid for such families hinged on the chastity of the girl, this humiliation was the price the poor women paid for government largesse.
