“It is absolutely wrong to say that virginity tests were conducted on the women who had come to take part in the weddings under the scheme,” Dubey said. The Collector, however, admitted that some clinical tests were conducted on the beneficiaries to find out if they were pregnant or not.
He said this was to ensure that the women who came for the programme were not married earlier and also to avoid unnecessary problems. After the clinical tests conducted on the women, around 15 were not allowed to take part in the weddings as they were found to be pregnant. Dubey also said he failed to understand why the media was making such a hue and cry about the whole thing. Amita Chapra, a member of the Madhya Pradesh Commission for Women, said she had asked the Collector to submit a report on the issue within seven days.
Meanwhile, Congress and BJP members on Monday clashed in the Rajya Sabha over the issue.
Published 13 July 2009, 18:07 IST