14-year-old resists marriage, faces parental abuse in Tripura

A 14-year-old girl was allegedly thrown out of her home by her parents in Tripura’s Sepahijala district after she refused to marry a 32-year-old man, raising fresh alarm over rising cases of child marriage in the region. The girl, reportedly traumatised and unwell, has been admitted to Bishalgarh hospital.

Chairperson of the Tripura Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TCPCR), Jayanti Debbarma, who intervened in the case, said the girl was also subjected to abuse before being driven out along with her 10-year-old sister.

"Based on reports, I visited Uttar Brajapur HS School and later met the victim at Bishalgarh hospital. She told me that she and her younger sister were thrown out of the house by their father after she refused to marry a 32-year-old man from the same locality," Debbarma told reporters.

The sisters sought shelter at their grandmother’s house, where the older girl fell ill and had to be hospitalised.

Sepahijala district, which borders Bangladesh, has become a disturbing epicentre of child marriage in Tripura, with 103 reported cases between April and June 2025 alone, according to official data.

Debbarma confirmed that an investigation is underway and assured that legal action would follow if the parents are found guilty. She added that the girls may be relocated to a government-run home or hostel for safety.

District Child Protection Officer Sonai Saha said a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act will be registered against the parents. The Child Welfare Committee has already planned to send the older girl to a boarding school in Sonamura after her recovery.

Efforts to contact the parents were unsuccessful at the time of reporting. The incident has once again spotlighted the urgent need to combat child marriage and ensure stronger enforcement of child protection laws in Tripura.