Patna's IGIMS sparks controversy over question of virginity in marital declaration form

Patna's IGIMS employees have to answer some really weird questions in the marital declaration form. Authorities say that the questions are as per government's rules.

New Delhi: Patna's Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) has landed in a controversy over its marital declaration form, which asks its employees whether they are virgin or not. The controversial marital declaration form has some really awkward questions. The employee is supposed to fill up details like whether s/he is a bachelor or widower or a virgin and that's not it. Men have to declare whether they have only one wife or more and women employees have to declare whether their husbands have only one wife or more. The declaration reads : I declare as under

• that I am bachelor/ widower/ virgin
• that I am married and have only one wife living / that I am married to a person who has only one wife living
• that I am married and have more than one wife/ that I am married to a person who has another wife living

Speaking to ANI, the college medical superintendent Manish Mandal said that the term Virgin did not imply the literal sense, rather it meant unmarried. Mandal added "IGIMS follows the rules and regulations of AIIMS which follows the Central Services' rules. The format has imbibed the terms married, widower and virgin." "These rules are made by the government only and they have the authority to change it. This rule is not formed by IGIMS or the state but the constitution. If they change it, we will also change," he added.