Assam: Over 1,000 arrested in police crackdown on child marriage, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that over 1,000 more persons have been arrested in cases allegedly related to child marriages in Assam.

Barpeta Superintendent of Police Amitabh Sinha told Scroll that about 150 men and their family members allegedly involved in child marriage had been arrested in his district alone since Monday evening.

The number now stands at 1,039. https://t.co/RTAOh3slWj— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) October 3, 2023

This is the second such crackdown this year. On September 11, the state government informed the Legislative Assembly that 3,907 people had been arrested since February in the first round of the crackdown. Of these, 3,319 arrests were made under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.

In January, Sarma announced that the Assam government was launching a state-wide drive against child marriages and would book men marrying girls below 14 years of age under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and those marrying girls aged 14 to 18 under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

In February, he said that 4,004 cases had been registered and added that the main targets of the authorities would be the “mullahs, kazis and pujaris” who encouraged child marriages.

Subsequently, the Gauhati High Court observed that police action was causing havoc in the state. The court made the observation while...

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