A mass marriage scheme of the Madhya Pradesh government stirred a row after some of the would-be brides were found to be pregnant during medical tests, with the opposition Congress seeking to know under which guidelines these tests were conducted and demanded an inquiry into the incident which it termed as an "insult" to the poor.
A district official said there was no directive from the administration to conduct pregnancy tests but doctors at the site decided to medically examine those brides who complained of some gynaecological issues.
The issue is related to the marriage of 219 couples in Gadasarai town in Dindori district under the 'Mukhya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana' on Saturday to mark Akshaya Tritiya, an official said on Sunday.
Calling such testing an insult to the poor, Congress legislator Omkar Singh Markam said the state government must clarify what are the guidelines or rules for such pregnancy tests.
Dindori collector Vikas Mishra told PTI that directives were issued during the mass marriage event for the detection of sickle cell (anaemia) among participants.
During medical examinations, some brides spoke of period issues after which doctors at the site took a decision to conduct pregnancy tests on those with such complaints, Mishra said.
"There was no directive from the administration to conduct pregnancy tests. The four women who were found to be pregnant were not allowed to take part in the mass marriage," he added.
Under the 'Mukhaya Mantri Kanya Vivah Yojana', the state government provides Rs 56,000 as financial assistance to eligible couples.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath demanded a high-level probe into this incident.
He cited media reports to claim that more than 200 women were made to take pregnancy tests at the event.
“I wanted to know from the chief minister if this news is true. If this news is true, then on whose orders was such insult done to the daughters of Madhya Pradesh? Do the daughters of the poor and tribal communities have no dignity in the eyes of the Chief Minister? Madhya Pradesh under Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is leading in cases of misbehaviour with women,” Nath tweeted.
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister demanded a fair and high-level inquiry and severe punishment for the guilty.
“This is not just a matter of pregnancy test, but this is about a malicious attitude towards women,” he added.