3 members backing ban on virginity test ritual thrashed in Pune

Pune: Three members of 'Stop the V ritual', a WhatsApp group created to spread awareness against the practice of determining the virginity of a bride on the wedding night, were on Sunday thrashed by members of their community (Kanjarbhat) in Pimpri.

An FIR has been registered against 40 people and two persons have been arrested in connection with the incident.

A group of youngsters from Kanjarbhat community in Pune came together and formed the group. They had also filed a police complaint against the practice.

"We had shared some material on Triple Talaq and Right to Privacy on Facebook. Some like-minded people from our Kanjarbhat community gave a positive response. So we came together to protest against this atrocity," admin of the WhatsApp group Vivek Tamaichekar had said.

As per the custom, the village panchayat spreads a white-bed sheet on the first wedding night of a couple. If the sheet is found stained with blood, the woman passes the test otherwise she is accused of having had a physical relationship prior to her marriage.

These tests are reportedly often performed without even the woman's consent.

A masters student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai, Tamaichekar said that the practice is against article 14 and article 21 of the Constitution.

"People here believe that this ritual should be done because it is our tradition and otherwise, our girls would be spoilt. We are protesting against that by spreading awareness," he concluded.