Guwahati: At least 111 of the 126 people who had been arrested in connection with child marriage cases in Golakganj town of Dhubri district of Assam were sentenced to prison on Sunday.
Assam Police have been heavily cracking down on child weddings around the state recently, as per the severe directives of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
According to several reports, the police in Assam have so far made up to 2,258 arrests in relation to child marriage cases.
Initial reports state that among the 126 culprits who were produced before the court by the police, 15 were remanded to police custody for two days.
The remaining 111 culprits who were arrested for being involved in child marriages in Golakganj in the Dhubri district of Assam, were sentenced to serve time in prison.
It should be noted that Assam Police arrested 2,258 people in connection with child marriage-related offences statewide as of February 4.
With 139 arrests, the Biswanath district recorded the highest number of arrests. On the other hand, the Dibrugarh district has recorded the lowest arrests, with just six.
The data on the number of arrests has been clarified by the police outposts in each district.
A manhunt has been underway since February 3 following orders the state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to stop child marriage and apprehend suspects.
Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the campaign against child marriage will go on till the 2026 state assembly elections.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised the Assam government earlier on Saturday for its efforts to combat child marriage.
Calling it a “farce”, Gogoi said, “It seems the police are instructed to investigate cases that are decades old without proper enquiry or adherence to procedure. It’s a farce.”
He further said that the people of the state have “completely rejected” the initiative. Gogoi also called the crackdown by the Assam government a PR exercise.
“It is a PR exercise for the Chief Minister under whose tenure – cases of mafia, crimes against women and elderly, drugs and kidnappings have increased. Police are reprimanded by high courts for failing their investigation esp in the Arnamai Bora murder case,” he wrote in his tweets.