Assam: Man arrested for attending child marriage; first such case since crackdown

For the first time in Assam, a man who attended a wedding where the bride was underage was arrested. He will be produced in court today.

Assam: Amid the relentless crackdown against child marriages, Assam police have now arrested a man for attending a minor's wedding in Bonagaigaon district. This is the first such arrest in the state for being witness to a child marriage ceremony.

The man named Jahir Ali Mandal, a resident of Bongaigaon's No 2 Supariguri village, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly attending the wedding ceremony of his nephew, who married an underaged girl recently. Mandal will be produced before the court today. Assam police have arrested a total of 2,666 people in cases relating to child marriage across the state till now.

Seeking public support to fight against this social evil, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted: "Our crackdown against child marriage continues with 2,666 arrests made so far. The drive against this social evil will continue. We seek the support of the people of Assam in our fight against this crime.''

In an attempt to stop child marriage in the state, the Assam government is contemplating a rehabilitation policy for victims of child marriages and financial aid for the husbands arrested in this connection. To begin with, the state cabinet has set up a 3-member cabinet committee including state cabinet ministers Dr Ranoj Pegu, Keshab Mahanta and Ajanta Neog for formulating the rehabilitation policy.

The National Family Health Survey reported in 2019-20, the maternal and child mortality rates have increased alarmingly in the state due to 23 percent child marriages and 11 percent attaining motherhood at an early age. It was also revealed that 31.8 percent of women in Assam aged between 20-24 were married before 18 years. This was higher than the national average of 23.3 percent.