New Delhi: July 30, 2009. (PCP report) Women organisations in the country demonstrated in New Delhi today on 29 July 2009, against virginity tests in Madhya Pradesh and Kerala and the stripping of a woman in Bihar, and submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister calling for an end to an assault on the dignity of women. Women groups included The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), All India Democratic Women (AIDWA), the Samvidhani Andolan (SA), Center for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS), Guild of Service (GS), Young Women’s Christian Association (YMCA) Joint Women’s Program and Women’s Desk, CBCI.. CPI MP D Raja, civil society leaders John Dayal and Swami Agnivesh joined the leaders of all women’s organizations addressed the meeting. Reflecting the tone of the memorandum, the organisations’ representatives said the virginity test on the Nun in Kerala and on 151 or so young women by the Madhya Pradesh government, the stripping of a woman in Patna and the anti-woman and murderous actions by various caste Panchayats in north India were glaring evidence of how discrimination against women takes a wide variety of forms. In a shocking incident scores on June 26, when 151 young women were subjected to virginity tests by the administration in Madhya Pradesh, during a state-sponsored mass marriage under the Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Yojana. The girls had to reportedly undergo tests to prove their chastity to avail the governments financial. Such degrading treatment would not be tolerated in a sane society. Similar incident shook the conscience of the society where the CBI, the country’s premier investigating agency forcefully took a Nun for virginity tests when she was being investigated in an alleged murder case. More degrading is the use of language in the charge sheet filed by the CBI. It is insulting to the woman concerned and also reflects a perverted mentality of the officials and needs disciplinary action against the officers involved . Yet another shocking incident was in Patna when an young girl was abused, stripped off and molested by a group of men in full public view at a busy road in the state capital Thursday evening, where a police team was reportedly present at the site and watched the attack on the woman for nearly an hour before taking the culprits to the police station!. Virginity testing is not only an affront violation of the fundamental rights availed in the Constitution of India but also various International Laws the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), and the Convention concerning Discrimination in respect of Employment and Occupation to which India is signatory. Virginity test is, predominantly women, and once again shows the subjugation and oppression of womanhood. We appeal to People of goodwill everywhere to join hands to stop such perverted actions of the officials who are in responsible positions. We demand the immediate suspension of the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and the CBI officers in Kerala, and the Bihar policemen in whose presence the girl was stripped of her clothes and dignity.