On January 22, three young men were beaten up by a mob of people for trying to find women a respectable standing in society. These three victims belong to the Kanjarbhat community, and are part of a WhatsApp group, called Stop the V Ritual.
This is NOT the first time someone trying to oppose this ritual has faced backlash. On November 25, 2017, one of the members of this WhatsApp group, 21-year-old Siddhant Indrekar, filed a complaint against the caste panchayat at the Vishrantwadi police station. Siddhant claimed he had recorded members of the caste panchayat accepting Rs 10,000 from a bride and a groom to approve their marriage. No action has been taken since, even though he was told that the police would "look into the matter".
So, what is this V ritual that they're trying to stop? And why are they facing such strong opposition?
What is the virginity test?
The letter V in that WhatsApp group stands for Virginity Test. Priyanka Tamaichekar, a Pune resident who is also a part of the group, told Indian Express, "Even today, a virginity test of the bride is conducted in the Kanjarbhat community. The newly married couple is taken to a hotel room. The groom is given a white bedsheet and is asked to use it while having sex. The caste panchayat members actually sit outside the room. If the groom comes out with a bedsheet with blood stains on it, the bride passes the test. But if the bedsheet has no blood stains, the panchayat members accuse the bride of having a physical relationship with a man in the past."
What happens if a new bride doesn't pass the test?
God forbid, if the groom emerges out of the room with a clean bedsheet, the bride's never-ending ordeals begin--from being harassed and even beaten up by the in-laws and husband, to being abandoned by the family altogether, cases have been reported for the worst possible "punishments" one can imagine.
In June 2017, the case of a 20-year-old woman from Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, came to light. This woman-in-question had been deserted by her husband and was forced to remain confined to her room by her father for failing the virginity test. The in-laws even took away all her jewellery, according to a report by The Hindu.
(Source: India Today)
This is NOT the first time someone trying to oppose this ritual has faced backlash. On November 25, 2017, one of the members of this WhatsApp group, 21-year-old Siddhant Indrekar, filed a complaint against the caste panchayat at the Vishrantwadi police station. Siddhant claimed he had recorded members of the caste panchayat accepting Rs 10,000 from a bride and a groom to approve their marriage. No action has been taken since, even though he was told that the police would "look into the matter".
So, what is this V ritual that they're trying to stop? And why are they facing such strong opposition?
What is the virginity test?
The letter V in that WhatsApp group stands for Virginity Test. Priyanka Tamaichekar, a Pune resident who is also a part of the group, told Indian Express, "Even today, a virginity test of the bride is conducted in the Kanjarbhat community. The newly married couple is taken to a hotel room. The groom is given a white bedsheet and is asked to use it while having sex. The caste panchayat members actually sit outside the room. If the groom comes out with a bedsheet with blood stains on it, the bride passes the test. But if the bedsheet has no blood stains, the panchayat members accuse the bride of having a physical relationship with a man in the past."
What happens if a new bride doesn't pass the test?
God forbid, if the groom emerges out of the room with a clean bedsheet, the bride's never-ending ordeals begin--from being harassed and even beaten up by the in-laws and husband, to being abandoned by the family altogether, cases have been reported for the worst possible "punishments" one can imagine.
In June 2017, the case of a 20-year-old woman from Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, came to light. This woman-in-question had been deserted by her husband and was forced to remain confined to her room by her father for failing the virginity test. The in-laws even took away all her jewellery, according to a report by The Hindu.
(Source: India Today)
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