Assam: Out of 3,047 arrests made in child marriage 251 granted bail, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam chief minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on February 17 said that till now as many as 3,047 people accused of child marriage have been arrested.

Further, the chief minister also said that only 251 accused (8.23%) have been granted bail.

Himanta Biswa Sarma also asserted that the arrests include the accused and perpetrators of child marriage and were not done after verifying their religious affiliations.

Taking to his social media handle, Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, "Child marriage is a social scourge and we are committed to ensuring this evil practice is stopped. The arrests in Assam include accused and perpetrators of this crime and not done after verifying their religious affiliations." 

"The Hon Courts are apprised of the details and out of the 3047 arrests only 251 (8.23%) have been granted bail. We are resolute in our commitment to end such social evil and eliminate the sinful acts of offenders," he further added.

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It is to be mentioned here that till now- the total number of registered cases stands at 4.235, of which 6,707 has been accused.

The total number of arrests made so far stands at 3,047, of which 2,954 are male and 93 are female.

Further 2587 are in judicial custody and 56 are in police custody.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on February 17 said that several families have cancelled pre-scheduled marriages between underage children in the state.

The Assam Chief Minister termed this a positive impact of the two-week-long crackdown against child marriage.  

''Reports are coming from various parts of Assam that several families have cancelled pre-scheduled marriages between underage children after our drive against such illegal practices. This is definitely a positive impact of our two-week-long crackdown against child marriage,'' tweeted Sarma.