The Maharashtra government on Wednesday assured the state Legislative Council that panchayats of the Kanjarbhat community will face action if they force brides to undergo virginity tests, PTI reported.
State Minister of Home Affairs Ranjit Patil said the police have been ordered to register a criminal case if a panchayat forces a woman to undergo such a test and also if it interferes in cases of rape and sexual harassment. “We will hold a meeting of caste panchayats and social activists next month to create awareness about the issue,” Patil told the council.
His assurance came after Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe said the Kanjarbhat community’s tradition hurts women’s dignity. She also claimed that these panchayats try to settle rape and sexual harassment cases out of court.
“Conducting a virginity test and announcing its result publicly is a violation of woman’s right to privacy,” she told the Maharashtra Legislative Council. “Her virginity status should not be disclosed to public.”
In January, a mob allegedly beat up young activists in Pune’s Pimpri district for banding together to fight the Kanjarbhat community panchayat’s practice. The activists had started a WhatsApp group named “Stop the V-ritual” to spread awareness about the panchayat conducting “virginity tests” on brides on the first night of marriage.
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