HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Feb 13: As the crackdown on child marriage continues in Assam, as many as 3,015 people have been arrested so far in the state, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
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CM Sarma also said that the drive against this social evil will continue till it is totally eradicated from the society.
“Our crackdown against child marriage has entered its second week with 3,015 arrests made so far. The drive against this social evil will continue. The positive side is that now people are coming out and surrendering before police,” CM Sarma tweeted on Monday.
The Assam Police had launched the crackdown on child marriage on February 3 and over 3,000 people have been apprehended in the crackdown.
The state cabinet recently approved a proposal to book men who have married girls below 14 years under the POCSO Act.
Cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 will be registered against those who have married girls in the age group of 14-18, the cabinet had decided.
The offenders will be arrested and the marriages declared illegal.
The decision to implement such a rule was taken as Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being identified as the primary cause, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).
