Health Minister Ma. Subramanian on Saturday refuted allegations made by Governor R.N. Ravi that minor girls were subjected to virginity tests (two-finger test) and said an inquiry conducted by medical officers and a verification of the medical examination forms proved that no such test had been done.
Noting that the Director General of Police had already clarified on this, he said it was necessary for the Health Department to also put out the facts. The Governor, Mr. Subramanian said, had stated that the two-finger test was conducted in connection with child marriage in Chidambaram.
To state something that did not happen was unbecoming for a man in the Governor’s post, but it was the duty of the Health Department to confirm that this statement was false, he added.
Mr. Subramanian said following Mr. Rav’s statement, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had written to the Chief Secretary seeking a report in a week. “Medical officers have conducted an inquiry, and at the same time, the medical examination forms of the child was checked. It shows that no two-finger test was conducted,” he told reporters. The Minister inaugurated a special medical camp organised by the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme and the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Perumbakkam.
With the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern, the Minister said personal safety was still important, and urged people to wear masks when visiting crowded public places, maintain physical distancing and wash their hands regularly.
He said COVID-19 cases, which rose to 500 in the State, had dropped to below 200 at present.
