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For the past few months, the Kanjarbhat community in Maharashtra has been engaged in a battle that pits tradition against education and fundamental rights against dogged customs.
The Kanjarbhats, a denotified tribe from Maharashtra, practice a custom called ‘gun jiti’. According to the custom, a bride’s virginity is tested by looking for blood stains on a white sheet after the wedding night. The sheet is checked by the family and the groom has to declare before the elders whether the bride is a virgin.
Kanjarbhat lore says the custom was established centuries ago during the nomadic days to protect girls from prying
