Guwahati: In a massive crackdown on child marriages in Assam, the police on Friday arrested 2,044 persons, including Hindu and Muslim priests, who conducted such weddings, which the authorities said, will be declared illegal. Addressing a a press conference here on Friday, Assam DGP GP Singh said, ''The Assam police registered 4047 cases against child marriages in last two days and 2,044 people have been arrested. Among them, 52 Kazis, Maulanas, and priests.''
"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 conducted," Singh said. GP Singh said, ''Most of the cases have been registered under the POCSO Act and arrested. Police found 8,000 people guilty at the time of filing of the case and arrested persons will be produced before the court. Crackdown against child marriages would continue in the coming days.'' The police registered 4,004 cases of child marriages in less than a fortnight since the state Cabinet decided on January 23 to arrest offenders, besides launching an extensive awareness campaign against the menace.
Till Friday evening, the highest number of 137 arrests have been made in the Biswanath district, followed by 126 in Dhubri, 120 in Baksa, 114 in Barpeta, and 96 in Kokrajhar. The DGP said the arrests were made after verification of inputs received from family members, the child welfare society, local people, and police personnel.
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"We will act according to the law, conduct proper investigations and submit charge sheets," Singh said. The Cabinet recently decided that those having married girls below 14 years of age will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 will be registered against those who have married girls in the 14-18 years age group. 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 reform house. How many of the arrested people were minors is not yet known till the publication of the report. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he has directed the police to act with a ''spirit of zero tolerance against the unpardonable and heinous crime on women''.
