Punjab: Child Welfare Committee stops marriage of minor girl

Punjab: In a joint operation, Child Welfare Committee, Child Helpline and local police successfully prevented the marriage of a minor girl in Chak 4Z village near Sri Ganganagar. Child Helpline had received information that people from the Sikh community in the village were preparing for a child marriage. Assistant SP Dinesh Kumar, Circle Officer Arun Kumar, Tehsildar Radheshyam Sharma and Inspector Satyendra Kumar reached the spot with a police team. When they reached the village, the wedding rituals were already underway. The baraatis had arrived, the ribbon cutting ceremony was taking place and songs were being sung. Relatives and close friends were eating food and dancing to the tunes of DJ. Punjab: On questioning the family, the team sought proof that the girl had attained the legal marriageable age of 18 years. The girl’s parents showed her Aadhaar card, which had her date of birth as August 28, 2010, which showed that she was not yet of marriageable age. The team then clarified that the girl’s marriage cannot take place until she turns 18 and for this, signatures of family and relatives were required. When the groom’s age was checked, it was found that he was 24 years old. The officials clarified that the family cannot get married even if they try to change the venue or time of the ceremony. To ensure compliance, the Child Welfare Committee and police deployed Anganwadi workers and officials to closely monitor the situation. They were also instructed to immediately report any developments to the Child Welfare Committee or the Childline toll-free number, 1098. During the operation, the halwai (sweet maker) and the photographer were briefed about the legal aspects of child marriage. Meanwhile, the granthi (priest) who had come to perform the Anand Karaj fled from the spot.