Over 2000 arrested in 36 hours in Assam's massive crackdown on child marriage

Police in Assam arrested 2,044 persons in 36 hours since Thursday on charges of child marriage as part of the BJP-led government's "massive crackdown" on the problem.

Director general of police, GP Singh said of these, 51 were priests, kazis and other sermonizers, who had performed the rituals of the marriage, in violation of the provisions of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

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"Many have fled their homes but we are trying to arrest all those identified as accused in the 4,074 cases we registered since Wednesday. Those arrested will be produced in courts and legal action will be taken as per the law," Singh said.

"During our survey and investigation, we have come across incidents where girls aged between 12 and 14 years have been found to have become victims of child marriage. Many became pregnant and had to be hospitalised due to medical complications out of early pregnancy," Singh said. Most of these marriages took place between 2020 and 2022, he said.

Most of the arrests were made from Biswanath district (137), Dhubri (126), Baksa (120), Barpeta (114), Nagaon (97), Hojai (96), Kokrajhar (94), Bongaigaon (87) and Goalpara (72).

Informing about the arrests, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday morning tweeted, "I have asked police to act with a spirit of zero tolerance against the unpardonable and heinous crime on women."

The state Cabinet headed by Sarma on January 23 decided to launch a Karnataka-like "massive crackdown" against child marriage, a major reason of high maternal mortality and infant mortality rate in Assam.

He also instructed police to book husbands found marrying girls below 14 years under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Child marriage is prohibited under the Proibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 but the problem serious in at least 10 districts.

Sarma said although the drive is not targeted at any community, the districts having majority Muslim population have been found by the NFHS with high rate of child marriage and child pregnancies.

Dhubri, Goalpara, Nagaon, Barpeta, Morigaon and Hojai are some of the districts where Muslims are either majority or have sizeable Muslim population. Lack of education and poverty are believed to the major push factors of child marriage, particularly in the riverine areas.

Sarma had said Dhubri districts have been found having 50 per cent child marriage cases followed by South Salmara (44.7%), Darrang (42%), Nagaon (42%), Goalpara (41%), Bongaigaon (41%), Barpeta (40%) and Morigaon (39%).

The average child marriage in Assam was found at 31 per cent, he said.