Drive against child marriage in Assam: As many as 30 people tries to flee Kerala; arrested

Soon after Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma directed the state police to initiate a drive against child marriage, Rupahihat  Police conducted a marathon search for husbands who had undergone child marriage. Fearing arrest some people who were involved in child marriage in Rupahihat tried to flee the state. Police conducted a raid and seized a traveller where at least 30 people involved in child marriage reportedly tried to escape to Kerala. 

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on February 2 said that people involved in child marriages would be arrested from Friday onwards.

"Thousands of people engaged in child marriage will be arrested from tomorrow. In the next six or seven days, thousands of youth or men who have married girls under 18 years will be arrested. Whoever has married a minor previously or has married now will be held," Assam Chief Minister said after his interaction with the faculty members of Nagaon Medical College.
Chief Minister Sarma had said that the government is firm in its resolve to end the "menace of child marriage" in the state and urged the citizens for their cooperation.

Taking to Twitter, he said, "Assam Govt is firm in its resolve to end the menace of child marriage in the state. So far @assampolice has registered 4,004 cases across the state and more police action is likely in days ahead. Action on the cases will begin starting February 3. I request all to cooperate."

As per the data shared by the Chief Minister, most child marriage cases were registered in the Dhubri district (370) and the least in Hailakandi (1).
A total of 123 cases were registered in Bongaigaon, 35 in Cachar, 125 in Darang, 75 in Dibrugarh, 157 in Goalpara, 255 in Hojai, 80 in Kamrup, 204 in Kokrajhar, 113 in Nagaon, 224 in Morigaon, and 110 in Tamulpur amongst others.

He further added that anyone who would have married to a girl under 14 years of age would be arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.