Guwahati: A court on Thursday granted bail to as many as three accused who had been arrested during the Baksa district of Assam’s campaign against child marriage.
According to reports, a father-and-son duo and another person were among the three people who were given bail today.
At least 300 persons from the Baksa district had been arrested as the Assam Police, acting on the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s orders, continued their statewide crackdown on child marriage cases.
Only three of them received bail today. Three people in the case—Nasiruddin Ali Ahmed, Nani Gopal Chakraborty, and Pinku Chakraborty—were given bail.
According to reports, their bail was approved today by the district’s additional session’s court.
It should be noted that yesterday, Assam’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) state president Ripun Bora demanded the resignation of the state’s chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, after the Gauhati High Court reportedly questioned the state police about their purported application of the POCSO Act—Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses—in cases involving child marriage.
According to Bora, the home department has been utilising the POCSO Act improperly to detain individuals suspected of being involved in child marriages. Moreover, he asserted that, at the chief minister’s command, the state police had implemented the POCSO act against those connected to child weddings.
Addressing a press conference here in Guwahati on Wednesday, Bora said, “Even the Gauhati High Court has reprimanded the government for the move. CM Sarma should accept moral responsibility and resign. He is responsible for the death of the four women of which two committed suicide.”
Bora also questioned who would be in charge of the families of the murdered women.
“These incidents have raised questions on the credibility of the state police in the nation, thus, the chief minister should apologize,” added Bora.