Guwahati: A total of 2,044 people have been arrested by Assam Police for their alleged involvement in child marriages cases in the state as of Friday.
This was informed by the Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh.
While addressing to reporters, Singh said, “The chief minister had received information about child marriage being rampant in several parts of the state, after which he ordered an inquiry. As per the directive, data of three years pertaining to child marriage cases were accessed.”
He continued, “Over 4,000 cases were registered based on the data. As of 2pm on Friday, a total of 2,044 people have been arrested in connection to child marriages cases in the state. Our forces have also apprehended 52 Qazis (Islamic priest) for conducting child marriages.”
He added that the areas with the largest number of arrests were Biswanath, Dhubri, Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Hojai.
Complete breakdown below –
The arrests comes post the state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the state government’s tough stance against child marriage cases in the state.
CM Sarma said that those who wed girls under the age of 14 would be charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, while those who wed girls between the ages of 14 and 18 will face charges under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
“Arrests will go on as long as the menace that this child marriage continues to persist in Assam. Anyone indulging in child marriage will be straightaway jailed,” the chief minister said.
“We will work towards ridding Assam of child marriages by 2026. In the last nine days, over five thousand cases of child marriages have come to the fore,” he added.