Bhopal:
A government inquiry has denied that virginity or pregnancy tests were conducted on 350 women, including tribals, ahead of a mass marriage ceremony last week in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
The district administration had ordered a magisterial probe into the incident where the brides-to-be, including 90 tribals, were allegedly subjected to the tests before the mass wedding in Harad village on June 7. The event was organised under the 'Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana', a programme run by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in the state wherein it bears the expense of marriages of girls belonging to poor families.
"I have received the probe report which has been prepared by the Assistant Collector, Neha Malviya. The report says that virginity or pregnancy test was not done on any woman on July 7 at the mass marriage venue," Rajesh Prasad Mishra, Betul district collector, told NDTV.
But after the incident was highlighted in media reports, a district health worker, Durga Malviya, had admitted that 10-12 women were checked for pregnancy and the results were subsequently shared with senior officials present at the venue.
Action has now been recommended against Mr Malviya by the inquiry officer for issuing irresponsible statements to the media.
Health department officials were allegedly deployed by the block panchayat to ensure that only those women, who didn't test positive for pregnancy, participated in the ceremony. They also allegedly wanted to ensure that couples didn't remarry to avail the benefits that could be availed under the scheme - newly-weds are entitled to a bicycle, utensils, gold and silver jewellery.