Jharkhand BJP in a fix over son of state chief 'marrying minor'

Ranchi: The Bharatiya Janata Party in Jharkhand faces an embarrassing situation because of state unit president Tala Marandi's alleged role in the marriage of his son with a minor girl.

Tala, a tribal who hails from Santhal Pargana, was appointed as BJP state unit president in June with an aim to counter the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in the region. But things have got messy with Tala's son Munna allegedly marrying an 11-year-old girl last month. Union minister Sudarshan Bhagat said marriage to a minor girl is a serious issue. According to another senior BJP leader, the party's central leadership is keeping a close watch on the developments as they are "not happy with Tala for getting his son married to a minor," he said. Jharkhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister Saryu Rai suggested the government should constitute a medical board to verify the age of the girl, Tala's son Munna has married.

It all started when Munna was accused of sexually exploiting a minor girl whom he had promised to marry. The 16-year-old girl filed a complaint with Godda court against Munna and also appeared before the State Commission for Women (SCW) alleging that she was exploited with false promise of marriage. The Godda district court directed that an FIR be lodged against Munna in connection with the case. By that time Munna was scheduled to marry one Mamata Hansda, but she refused to marry him over the past complaint of sexual exploitation against him. It was then Tala allegedly got Munna married to an 11-years-old on June 27. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das was scheduled to attend the marriage reception on June 28 but in the face of brewing controversy he did not go there. The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights sought a report from Godda district administration and directed that an FIR be lodged if Munna indeed married the minor girl. Later the Godda district administration filed a civil suit against Tala and Munna in connection with the issue. The lawsuit accuses the girl's father too. Meanwhile, opposition parties JMM, JVM-P and Congress have demanded impartial probe and action against the accused. Jharkhand Pradesh Women Congress Committee President Abha Sinha demanded the arrest of Munna Marandi alleging that three girls have accused him of sexual exploitation. She said while the state government is making claims over protecting rights of women, in reality it is failing to take action against its own people.