Child marriage prevented in MP's Rajgarh

Bhopal: Timely intervention by the district administration and the Women and Child Development Department prevented a child marriage in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district.

The minor girl from a Dalit family was scheduled to be married off at a mass wedding ceremony being organised by a social organisation of the Ahirwar community in Somvariya village in Rajgarh district, around 160 km from the state capital Bhopal.

The mass marriage ceremony was scheduled to take place on Thursday, however, upon receiving information, district administration acted swiftly and prevented the child marriage.

Women and Child Development officer Sunita Yadav, who visited the venue, told IANS that when inquired about the girl in question, she was found to be underage.

Sunita Yadav informed that upon receiving a direction from District Magistrate Girish Kumar Mishra, a team of the Women and Child Development Department reached the venue.

As many as 67 couples were registered for the mass wedding ceremony and one on the brides' list was found to be minor.

"The parents were firmly told that marriage is permissible only after a girl attains 18 years of age," Sunita said.

It was found out that the family had two underage daughters.

Furthermore, when the inspection team sought details about the other couples enrolled for the mass wedding ceremony, the organising team failed to provide details of all of them.

"As of now, 43 couples have only produced Aadhar cards, which are not considered sufficient proof of age, and document verification is ongoing. The wedding organising team has been asked to provide details such as age certificates, mark sheets, or registered documents," she added.

Last month, the Supreme Court issued a slew of directions for the effective implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, saying that child marriage deprives children of their autonomy and right to fully develop and enjoy their childhood.