Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 4: A massive crackdown on child marriage in Assam led the state police to arrest over 2,044 people including Hindu and Muslim priests who officiated at weddings that would reportedly be deemed illegal.
According to the reports, over 2,044 arrests have been done so far, but it has also led to protests by women who have criticised chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s government for arresting their husbands and sons. Women protested against the move in various districts saying they will face problems without livelihoods.
Since the state cabinet resolved to arrest offenders on January 23, the police have recorded 4,004 cases of child marriage and have also begun a comprehensive awareness campaign against the problem.
“We have a list of 8,000 named accused and so far we have arrested only 2,044 people. The drive against child marriage will continue over the next three to four days and after we get all the data, a proper district-wise analysis can be done,” said Director General of Police G P Singh.
Earlier, the Assam government launched a massive operation on Friday to control the number of child marriages in the state and arrested nearly 1800 people in a day.
Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) (IGP L&O) Bhuyan said, “The figures of arrest in child marriages case have risen. Till this morning, the police had arrested over 2170 persons across the state, and it will increase further.”
The state cabinet recently decided that cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 would be filed against those who had married girls between the ages of 14 and 18. Those who had married girls below 14 would be subject to prosecution under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. They’ll be taken into custody, and the unions will be ruled unlawful.
If the prospective husband is also younger than 14, he will be placed in a reformatory. Until the report is published, it is unknown how many of those who were arrested were minors.
