Menace of child marriage will disappear in 2 years: Assam DGP GP Singh

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh held a press briefing at the Assam Police headquarters on Wednesday, where he briefed about the second special drive launched against child marriage.

DGP Singh said that a total of 710 cases have been filed and 915 persons out of the 1,100 accused arrested in the second phase of the drive against child marriage. The 915 arrested include 546 husbands, 353 relatives, and 16 solemnisers, like kazis and priests, who conducted the child marriages.

He also said that in the first drive launched against child marriage in February 2023, a total of 4515 cases were registered and 3483 were arrested. 95.5% of the cases registered during the drive have already been issued charge sheets.

The police had carried out an extensive field study and gathering of data in the past three months, prior to the launch of the second phase of the drive. During this time, it has emerged that the menace of child marriage has decreased in the state when compared to the situation during the first drive, the DGP maintained.

DGP Singh is hopeful that the menace of child marriage will disappear in the next two years. He appealed to people to wait 2 to 3 years for their daughters and sons to reach marriageable age so that they could avoid being penalised for the crime of child marriage.

“When we conduct another drive in the next 6 to 7 months, I am sure the numbers will further decrease. However, we will not wait to conduct special drives but carry on taking action against the menace. The campaign against child marriage has been continuing, and in the time between last February and this October, we have nabbed another 100 or so offenders,” GP Singh added.

He also added that they have been acting on the specific instructions from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to continue the drive against child marriage in the state until the menace is rooted out.

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