Representative image for child marriage.
Credit: Pixabay Photo
Bengaluru: The KR Puram police have booked a wedding hall owner, the parents of an underage girl, her "groom" and his parents for facilitating the child marriage.
The police action followed a complaint from Shivaprasad Yadav, an official from the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU), on December 10.
He procured the girl’s birth certificate from her school and approached the police seeking action against all those involved, including the wedding hall owner, who allegedly facilitated the event.
Officials got wind of the matter through Childline, a national helpline run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The marriage reportedly took place on October 26.
According to the FIR, the girl was 16 years and seven months old at marriage, making the nuptial a violation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
Police named the owner of Crown Palace Wedding Hall as accused number 1. The 20-year-old bridegroom and his parents have been listed as accused number 2, while the minor girl’s parents have been named as accused number 3.
A police investigation showed that the girl's elder sister forced the marriage to ward off 'ghosts' afflicting her. She thought the 'marriage would set things right'.
Syed Ayat, the wedding hall owner, denied facilitating the marriage, claiming the ceremony had taken place elsewhere and the family had only booked the hall for dinner.
"I am not responsible for verifying the couple’s documents," he said.