Representative image of child marriage.
Credit: Pixabay Photo
Chitradurga: A brave 13-year-old girl single-handedly resisted attempts by her parents and relatives, who even resorted to physical force, to get her married to her maternal uncle in Chitradurga district.
This Class 8 girl, who is keen on studies and sports, put up a spirited fight and barely escaped a fate that many unsuspecting minor girls fall prey to.
Speaking to DH, Chitradurga District Child Protection Officer C Savitha said a video of the girl pleading with her parents and relatives to call off the marriage had gone viral on social media networking sites on June 4.
According to the officer, the parents had made arrangements for their daughter's wedding with her uncle. Initially, the girl was not aware of the marriage and opposed it when she came to know about it. Ignoring her protests, they proceeded with the ceremony even as she pleaded with her parents and grandparents with folded hands.
Over a dozen people even tried to restrain her physically to enable the bridegroom to tie the knot. But the determined girl managed to free herself and rushed out of the house, seeking help.
Her parents and relatives beat her and warned the neighbours who tried to rescue the girl. When her relatives egged the bridegroom on to tie the knot even as the girl lay on the ground, villagers videographed the entire incident on their phones and shared it with the police in Challakere. Later, the police and Child Welfare Committee staff rushed to the spot and rescued her.
"We immediately rushed to the spot and rescued the child. She is in the Bala Mandir now. The Child Welfare Committee will talk to the girl and the counsellors will counsel her. The girl's statements will be crucial in the progress of the case. If she agrees to go back to her village and stay with parents, we will send her. Or else, she will stay in the Bala Mandir and attend school from here," Savitha said.
Police sources said no FIR was registered against the suspects as child marriage had been prevented. The parents were sent home after a warning.
Savitha also pointed out that 201 complaints of child marriage had been received in the district from April 2024 to April 2025. Of them, the authorities managed to prevent 88 and FIRs had been registered in 83 cases.
The girl, according to the officer, is good at studies and sports and is keen to continue her studies.
Chitradurga is among the top five districts reporting child marriages in the state.