NCPCR Seeks Probe After TN Governor Exposes 2-Finger Virginity Tests Conducted On Underage Girls Of Chidambaram Dikshitar Family
In a shocking revelation, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, in his latest interview with the Times of India, exposed how the minor girls of the Podhu Dikshitar families of Chidambaram temple were forced into the banned two-finger test in a malicious endeavor to defame them. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken suo moto cognizance of the Governor’s remarks and has sought an action report from the state Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu.
Governor Ravi also alleged that the officers in the social welfare department of Tamil Nadu placed a false accusation on eight Dikshitar families for marrying off their underage daughters when in reality, nothing of that sort happened. He called out the sheer vengeance of the officers.
The revelations that followed were truly disturbing and heart-wrenching. Based on the alleged fabricated case, he exposed how the teen girls who were doing their sixth and seventh standards were forced to take the ‘two-finger tests’, and their parents were put behind bars. Living through the trauma, some of them attempted suicide. The governor added details of how he expressed his concerns about the misery in a letter to the Chief Minister and questioned him about the ordeals.
What Is A Two-Finger Test And Why They Are Banned?
If you rank all the horrible ordeals on earth, nothing can inch closer to the physical and mental pain that come with these virginity tests conducted on an already strained rape survivor. The two-finger test involves a physical examination of a woman’s genitalia where the practitioner inserts two fingers into their vagina in an endeavor to determine the virginity of the woman. The laxity of the hymen and vaginal muscles is considered a measure of their sexual history and, eventually, their virginity.
The two-finger tests are not only considered unethical, but they are also proven unscientific. Various doctors have raised their voices against the test and discredited its reliability and accuracy on the grounds that the hymen can rupture when girls engage in a powerful play, ride a bicycle, use a tampon, etc. So, a hymen rupture cannot be considered a determinant of a woman’s virginity or sexual history. Beyond that, the laxity of the vaginal muscles depends on psychological factors and stress, say a woman is distressed, the vaginal muscles are tight and tensed. It can never be considered a credible measure of virginity.
Even in sexual assault cases, a women’s sexual history is irrelevant to the subject. Considering all these, the Government of India made the two-finger virginity tests illegal in 2012. In the following year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) released press notes and a handbook to healthcare workers about the distress caused by such unscientific practices and unethical tests.
Dikshitars Have Always Remained The Target Of DMK Govt
Perhaps, this is not the first time that the Pothu Dikshitars, the hereditary priests of the legendary Chidambaram Natarajar Temple, have been targeted by venomous propaganda. In Tamil Nadu, the power of temple administration vests with the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department of the Government.
The DMK government has always had a notorious interest in the administration of the Chidambaram temple, which remains under the custodianship of the Dikshitars. In 1987, the government appointed an officer to oversee the temple’s functioning and administration. Later in 2009, the then-DMK government appointed an officer and handed him ample powers, which eventually turned out to be one of the most hostile temple takeovers.
Though the Dikshitars appealed in the High Court, their pleas were continuously dismissed until 2014, the Dikshithars finally won the 27-year-old case in the Supreme Court. When the Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK government decided not to contest or appeal against the judgment and let the Dikshitars take charge of the temple, the DMK government placed criticisms.
Right after the DMK government came to power in May 2021, the HR&CE Minister has been vocal about bringing back the temple administration under its aegis. The Stalin-led DMK government sought an opinion from the public on the administration of the temple. It has received around 6000 petitions upon which the decision about the administrative control of the temple is yet to be made.
The governor’s claim of the fabricated cases against the Dikshitar families calls for a deeper investigation as it is evident that the case has a broader, venomous intent than we could imagine. The government is trying to achieve by defamation and power what it could not achieve through judiciary and law. By forcing virginity tests on the innocent girls of the Dikshitar families in an attempt to defame the priests, it has only stooped to new lows.
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Hypocrisy Much? Rahman Shares Humanity-Over-Religion ‘Kerala Story’, Here’s How He Put His Religion Above Humanity
Ahead of the release of ‘The Kerala Story’, a film depicting the menace of love jihad, Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman took to virtue-signalling sharing an old clip of a Hindu couple marrying at a mosque in Kerala.
The video which Rahman shared was three years old and is a coverage of The News Minute of a Hindu couple named Anju and Sharath marrying at the Cheruvally Muslim Jamaath mosque in Alappuzha.
This old video was shared on Twitter by the handle Comrade From Kerala (@ComradeMallu) whose bio reads as “Communist from Kerala… Sanghis, Sudappis and all religious terrorists please keep away.”
Quote-tweeting the video of Comrade From Kerala, AR Rahman said that love for humanity has to be unconditional.
But here are a few instances when Rahman put his religion above his work and humanity.
Incident 1
Piraisoodan is a famous award-winning Tamil poet who has penned lyrics for many Tamil songs. He had worked with Rahman during his initial days when the latter was scoring ad jingles. Piraisoodan has also penned lyrics for some of the songs of Rahman.
In an interview to a Tamil YouTube channel, Piraisoodan said that once when he had gone to Rahman’s home, he was asked to remove the Vibhuti (sacred ash) and Kumkum (vermilion) by Rahman’s mother. Rahman along with family had already converted to Islam by then.
However, Piraisoodan, did not oblige and refused to remove the Hindu religious marks on his forehead saying that he has been having them since childhood.
Incident 2
It is hard for a Rahman fan to not have listened to the song ‘Kalayil Dhinamum‘ from the film New.
The song is an ode to mothers penned by the late lyricist Vaali who is known for being candid.
In an incident recorded by Vaali, he said that the inital lyrics of the song which adulated mother to the status of God had to be changed because of Rahman.
The initial lines that was penned by Vaali was:
Kalai Dhinamum Kan Vizhithaal (Every morning when I wake up)
Naan Kai Thodum Deivam Amma (The God I fold my hands to pray, is mother)
The shooting for the song had already been completed.
However, Rahman objected to these lines saying that Islam does not allow him to equate mother with his God and asked lyricist Vaali to change the lyric.
“Vaali sir, in my religion we’re not supposed to equate mother with God. Please replace the word with some other word.”, Rahman apparently told Vaali over phone.
An irritated Vaali later changed the word ‘Deivam‘ which means God in Tamil to ‘Devathai‘, the Tamil word for angel, on Rahman’s insistance.
Incident 3
Sources in the Tamil music industry also note that AR Rahman did not compose the Ayyappa Song that comes in the film Boys (2003).
Even the casette/CD cover of the music album does not mention the Ayyappa Song.
It is said that the Ayyappa song from the movie was composed by his music programmer Pravin Mani.
While it is speculated that Rahman chose to not compose the Ayyappa song as it would be in contradiction to his Islamic beliefs, what is worth mentioning is that the same Rahman had composed the enchanting ‘Anbendra Mazhayile‘ a song venerating Jesus from the film Minsara Kanavu (1997).
In all these above instances, Rahman put his religion above anything else. Where did humanity-over-religion go then?
Rahman has always been viewed as an Indian and his religion has never bothered his fans who span across faiths.
But is Rahman a man blinded by his faith?
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