In the Indian state of Assam, police have arrested more than 2,000 men who married underage girls.
The NDTV channel, citing police and officials, said that the campaign against child marriage was announced the day before by the chief minister of the state, Himantha Biswa Sarma.
In his tweet, he emphasized the firm intention of the local authorities to end this problem in the region. He called marriages with underage girls themselves “an unforgivable and heinous crime.”
State wide arrests are presently underway against thos violating provisions of the Prohibhiton of Child Marriage Act.
1800+ has been arrested so far.
I have asked @assampoice to act with spirit zero tolerance proti unpardonable and heinous crime on women
– Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 3, 2023
According to the minister, more than 2,200 men were arrested in two days. In turn, the head of the state police, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, told reporters that law enforcement agencies have registered more than four thousand cases of marriages with minors, the defendants of which are about eight thousand people.
According to the Indian family code, marriages for women in the country are allowed from the age of 18, for men – from the age of 21. Also under consideration in the Indian Parliament is a bill to raise the age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years.
As Smriti Irane, Minister of Women and Children’s Development of India, noted, this initiative will allow girls to complete their education and achieve economic independence, as well as achieve physical and psychological maturity.
Source: Racurs
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