Some women from Kanjarbhat community protest campaign to stop ‘virginity tests’
On the occasion of International Women’s Day on Thursday, this group of women from the Kanjarbhat community, a nomadic tribe in Maharashtra, organised an event in Bhat Nagar, Yerwada, and spoke against the campaign being run against ‘virginity tests’.
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Women from the Kanjarbhat community pay tribute to social activist Savitribai Phule during an event in Bhat Nagar, Yerwada, to mark International Women’s Day. (Express Photo)
As the campaign against the practice of ‘virginity tests’ of newlywed women in the Kanjarbhat community gathers steam, a group of women from the community has claimed that those running the “false campaign” were unaware of the “real situation”, and alleged that they were conspiring to defame the community for “financial gains”.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day on Thursday, this group of women from the Kanjarbhat community, a nomadic tribe in Maharashtra, organised an event in Bhat Nagar, Yerwada, and spoke against the campaign being run against ‘virginity tests’.
A press release, issued on Friday by Ganesh Machare and other members of the community, quoted Bhavana Manekar, one of the speakers at the event, addressing the issue. Manekar said even if the ‘virginity tests’ were being conducted, it was a matter between the family members of the bride and groom, and no elders or relatives are involved, as per the press release.
“But the members of ‘Stop the V-Ritual’ (a WhatsApp group campaigning against the practice) are indulging in a false campaign in the media, without understanding the real situation, which is defaming the Kanjarbhat community,” the release quoted Manekar as saying.
The release said if any woman from the community had faced problems due to satva pariksha (a reference to virginity tests) she would receive support from the women. “But those who are making allegations do not have a single victim from the community. So, we suspect that the WhatsApp group members have conspired for financial gains, to defame the community, and even misled the state Legislative Council,” the release said.
On February 28, this issue was raised in the state Legislative Council by Neelam Gorhe of the Shiv Sena. Replying to her, Minister of State for Home Affairs Ranjit Patil had said that essential protection would be provided to those who come forward with complaints against ‘virginity tests’.
The press release by the women demanded an apology from the WhatsApp group members. “The WhatsApp group members should apologise for their acts, or else the Kanjarbhat community will take out a rally to the district collectorate against them on March 26,” it said.
Some community members have also written to Union minister Ramdas Athavale, demanding action against the ‘Stop The V-Ritual’ group, started by Vivek Tamaichikar, a student of Master’s course at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai.
Tamaichikar and his colleagues claim that newly-married women in their community have to give a proof of their virginity on their wedding night. The married couple is asked to spend their first night in a hotel room and given a white sheet to put on the bed, they say. The girl is said to have passed the virginity test if the couple are able to show blood stains on the sheet the next morning. Otherwise, the girl is punished according to community customs, they claim.
The campaign has received strong support in recent months from people within and outside the community. But it has also led to some clashes within community members. On January 21, a few members of the WhatsApp group were beaten up at a marriage function in their community. A month later, unidentified people damaged the car of Krushna Indrekar, one of the members of the group, while he was attending a marriage function in Pune.
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