Crackdown against Child marriage in Assam, Police arrest 2,044

GUWAHATI: In a major crackdown on child marriage in Assam, police on Friday arrested 2,044 people, including Hindu and Muslim priests, who conducted marriages that authorities said would be illegal.

As the police said they had a list of 8,000 accused and the drive would continue, women protested against the move in various districts, saying they would face problems without livelihood.
The police have registered 4,004 cases of child marriage in less than a fortnight since the state cabinet decided on January 23 to arrest the culprits as well as launch a massive awareness campaign against the scourge.
We have a list of 8,000 named accused and so far we have arrested only 2,044 people. The campaign against child marriage will continue for the next three to four days and after getting all the data, a proper district-wise analysis can be done,” said Director General of Police GP Singh.
As of Friday evening, Baswanath district has recorded the highest number of arrests at 137, followed by 126 in Dhubri, 120 in Buxa, 114 in Barpeta and 96 in Kokrajhar.

Apart from family members who married their minor children, the police arrested 51 priests and kazis’ who performed such marriage rituals in religious institutions, the DGP said.
He said that these arrests were made after confirming the information received from the families, child welfare society, local people and police officials.
“We will take action as per law, conduct proper investigation and present a charge sheet,” Singh said.
The state cabinet recently decided that those who marry girls below the age of 14 will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act and Prohibition of Child Marriage against those who marry. Cases will be registered under Act 2006. Girls in the age group of 14-18 years.
They will be arrested and the marriages will be declared illegal.

If the groom is also below 14 years of age, he will be sent to a correctional home.

Till the publication of the report, it was not known how many of those arrested were minors.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he had directed the police to act with a “zero-tolerance spirit” against the unforgivable and heinous crime against women.

Meanwhile, women came out in large numbers against the arrest of their husbands and sons.
“Why take only men? How will we and our children survive? We have no source of income,” said Nirudha Doli, 55, of Majuli district.

Jehira Begum of Dhubri said that her 19-year-old son had brought a college-going girl home with him, but they were not yet married.

“However, his father informed the police and now both my son and husband have been arrested,” she said.
A woman from Barpeta district, who did not want to be named, said her son “ran away with a minor girl. It was a mistake but why arrest my ailing husband?”

“My daughter-in-law was 17 years old when she got married,” said Monowara woman from Morigaon. She is now 19 and five months pregnant. Who will take care of him?”

Protests were also raised from other circles.
Pointing out that the campaign against child marriage is a welcome step, college student Ananya Barwa said, “But it will create a lot of problems for those who are already married and They have children.”
All Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) president Rejaul Karim Sarkar claimed that he has been working for the last five years to end child marriage in minority-majority areas and submitted several memoranda to the government. But there was no response from the authorities.
Just arresting people and filing cases with the police will not solve the problem. Sarkar said that the campaign against child marriage should involve all sections of the society so that people believe that it is a wrong practice.
The chief minister had said on January 28 that “thousands of husbands will be arrested in the next five to six months because it is a crime to have sex with a girl below the age of 14, even if he is her legally wedded husband.” why not Many (men who marry girls) may face life imprisonment,” Sarma said.
According to the National Family Health Survey reports, Assam has a high maternal and child mortality rate, which is mainly due to child marriage as an average of 31% of marriages registered in the state are under the age limit.