LONDON: Indian women were subjected to "virginity tests" in the 1970s before being allowed entry into the United Kingdom, a directive strenuously denied by Prime Minister James Callaghan in 1979 to then Indian prime minister Morarji Desai. These and other details have emerged from declassified British home ministry files.
The tests, to check whether Indian women claiming to be brides or fiances of British subjects were indeed so, took place at the United Kingdom's missions in Delhi and Mumbai. The home ministry papers, according to the Guardian newspaper, reveal that entry clearance officers "sought medical opinion on the marital status of some female applicants".
UK's foreign ministry officials are said to have confided to the Guardian that there were 73 cases in Delhi and nine in Mumbai. The Indian government angrily protested against the "humiliating and obscene" practice. The UK Border Agency, which now deals with immigration issues, stated, "These practices occurred 30 years ago and were clearly wrong."
The tests, to check whether Indian women claiming to be brides or fiances of British subjects were indeed so, took place at the United Kingdom's missions in Delhi and Mumbai. The home ministry papers, according to the Guardian newspaper, reveal that entry clearance officers "sought medical opinion on the marital status of some female applicants".
UK's foreign ministry officials are said to have confided to the Guardian that there were 73 cases in Delhi and nine in Mumbai. The Indian government angrily protested against the "humiliating and obscene" practice. The UK Border Agency, which now deals with immigration issues, stated, "These practices occurred 30 years ago and were clearly wrong."
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