Even when India is on its way to the light with artificial intelligence and robotic systems, how primitive our country is in some aspects. Some events in the society will convince us that at least some of those who support it have a perverted mind. Even when I pretend that women have been given a sacred place in culture and tradition. There are many kinds of superstitions, injustices and human rights violations around them. One such practice is 'Kukadi Pratha'
Our India is a country where 'Kukadi Pradha' the virginity test of a newlywed bride, is performed. A test of white bedsheet during the honeymoon of a married couple. It is also known as 'Kukari Ki Ras'. After the wedding, the bride and groom are sent to a lodge, hotel etc. with their relatives. Before that, the groom's relatives will strip-search the bride to make sure she is not carrying any weapons. Then the bride's virginity is confirmed through a white cloth given in the hands of the groom. After intercourse, the bride's blood-stained cloth is handed over to the groom's mother. It is a jungle practice where a couple who are relatives have intercourse in front of the newlyweds if they have any difficulty in having intercourse.
Not only is the women humiliated, but if she fails the test, she and her family are forced to pay a fine for massive cruelty and torture. There are shocking reports of 'Kukadi Pradha' still being practiced in the tribal 'Sansi' community of Rajasthan and the 'Kancharbart' community of Maharashtra.
It is estimated that 'Kukadi pradha' became strong after the arrival of the British in India. Some of the foreigners, including the British, forced women into intercourse and then abandoned them. In this case, in some communities like the Rajputs, the husband's parents insisted that the daughter-in-law should not have had illegal relations with anyone before. It is argued that this is how the Kukadi system was created for virginity testing. The intention was to test the purity of women's skin, but later it became a means of monetization. Many people use the fact that the wife has lost her virginity as an opportunity for income for the husbands. The family of the woman who failed the virginity test should be charged as fine.
There is an arrangement of water test and fire test to find out if the woman is a virgin. The water test is a test of how long a woman can hold her head under water. The ordeal of fire is to prove a woman's virginity by holding a hot iron in her hand. If this is not possible, the method is to publicize the name of the ex-partner and receive the punishment. There is a big controversy recently when 350 brides who participated in a community marriage conducted by the Government in Madhya Pradesh were subjected to virginity tests.Finally, the authorities took action against the government officials on the complaint of a young woman from Gortara village in Shahadol disrict. Officials justified the check by saying that the check was to prevent previously married people from taking part in communal marriages again to grab government benefits.
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