Last Update: February 04, 2023, 22:41 IST
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. (File photo: PTI)
According to an official statement, over 2,250 people have been arrested in the state till Saturday for the crackdown on child marriage.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said the drive against child marriage launched by the state police the previous day would continue till the next assembly elections in 2026.
According to an official statement, over 2,250 people have been arrested in the state till Saturday for the crackdown on child marriage.
A total of 2,258 people have been arrested so far on the basis of 4,074 FIRs registered against child marriage across the state.
At least 139 people have been arrested so far in Biswanath, 128 in Barpeta and 127 in Dhubri, the police statement said.
Sarma said that the parents involved in the marriage of the minor are currently being let off after giving notices and are not being arrested.
“Our campaign will continue till 2026 when the next assembly elections are due. We hope that till then there will be no case of child marriage in the state.”
In over 4,000 cases of child marriage, there were over 8,000 accused.
“If we leave out the parents, the number of accused facing arrest comes to around 3,500,” he said.
The CM said that the Deputy Commissioners have been asked to “control the system of Qazis” (Muslim priests conducting marriages) and create general awareness against the menace.
The state cabinet had recently decided that those marrying girls below the age of 14 would be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
The cabinet also decided that cases would be registered under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 against those marrying girls in the age group of 14-18 years.
They would be arrested and the marriage would be declared invalid.
If the bridegroom is below 14 years of age, he will be sent to a “Reformation Home”.
According to the National Family Health Survey report, Assam has high rates of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being the primary reason, as an average of 31 per cent of marriages registered in the state are in the prohibited age group.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)