In a ridiculous step, the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna has asked its employees to declare whether they are virgin.

The marriage declaration form which has come to light is applicable for hospital employees and freshly recruited doctors and nursing staffs. The form also asks male employees to provide details if they have more than one wife.

Women employees apart from declaring status regarding their virginity have also been asked to provide details on whether she is married to a person who has no other wife living or another wife living.

Speaking to India Today, the Deputy Medical Superintendent, Dr Manish Mandal said that the marriage declaration form with the contentious questions have been in practice ever since the institute was established in 1984.

"Everyone has to fill this form which is part of Central Services Rules and this form is similar to what AIIMS in Delhi uses. If the Centre or AIIMS changes the format of the form in the future, we will also change it. This is not a new form and has been in practice since 1984 when IGIMS was established", said Mandal.

Elaborating on the need to extract personal details like one's virginity, Dr Mandal said that the questions have been asked in order to avert any kind of wrong doing.

"In the Central Services Rules there is a provision that when a person joins the service and later on if she dies because of any eventuality, there may be a claimant or boy friend who may come to seek job in place of the victim", said Dr Mandal .

However, Dr Mandal admitted that the use of word virginity was incorrect.

"Essentially what is being asked in the form is whether a person is married or unmarried? Personally I feel the word used should have been unmarried instead of virgin. That would have been sober but what is there in the rules have to be followed," said Dr Mandal.

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