Newly commissioned officers toss up their caps after the passing out parade at the Indian Military Academy in Dehra Dun. (PTI file picture)

New Delhi, Sept. 22: A woman candidate for the Indian Army has refused to be examined by male gynaecologists during a medical test before recruitment.

Spurred by a demand from Surya Moudgal, an Allahabad candidate who has insisted on being examined by a woman gynaecologist, the All-India Democratic Women?s Association has written to defence minister Pranab Mukherjee and army chief N.C. Vij requesting them to look into the matter.

?The medical tests require examination of the breasts, genitalia and the anus... It is absolutely shocking and unacceptable that these tests should be conducted by male doctors. It has come to our knowledge that in two of the three centres the tests are all conducted by male doctors,? association general secretary Brinda Karat said.

In a news conference today, Surya said woman candidates ? they are usually between 21 and 27 ? should be given the option to choose between a male and a female doctor. The Allahabad military hospital authorities had flatly refused to consider her plea, she alleged. ?I requested army authorities to arrange for a female doctor and they refused? These tests are of an intimate nature and I was not comfortable with a male doctor,? she said.

Not only was she snubbed, the authorities mocked her, Surya said. ?The doctor will only see and not touch,? Lt Col Turlapati, the president of the medical board, allegedly said.

Others poked some more fun, Surya said. ?The eye specialist asked me whether I would mind if his face was close to mine while conducting the examination since I had raised objections in the case of other examination.?

All doctors but one allegedly told Surya she should not have applied for the post if she had such reservations. ?None of the woman candidates feel comfortable being examined by a male doctor. But they just go through it,? she said.

One doctor asked her to go to Delhi so that a woman doctor could examine her, Surya said. But Lt Col Deepak Kumar, the president of the army base hospital in Delhi, turned out to be no different. ?Kumar told me the army will not work according to my wishes and that I should not object since it is the head of the department ? a male ? who is the only person authorised to conduct the tests,? Surya alleged.

Karat said instead of appreciating Surya?s stand, the doctors ?chose to humiliate her?. ?We have a detailed report of the kind of testing going on for the last 10 years. It is absolutely unacceptable?.?