Guwahati: After a massive crackdown on the drug mafias and cattle smugglers in the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s action on illegal child marriage has once again divided the opinion in the country on the rationale behind all these moves.
The BJP-led coalition government after assuming power for the second consecutive time in Assam with Himanta Biswa Sarma at the helm of affairs this time around took some drastic steps which attracted the attention of the whole nation. The massive crackdown on child marriage is another such move.
While women in large numbers came out in protest against the state police arresting their husbands and sons for child marriage, CM Sarma said that drive will continue. He stated that action against child marriage would continue as teenage pregnancy in the state was alarmingly high at 16.8 per cent.
"Our drive against child marriage is for public health and public welfare as the teenage pregnancy ratio is quite alarming at 16.8 per cent. We are resolved to continue this drive until we fulfil our objective. We urge the people to cooperate with us in controlling this harmful trend," Sarma tweeted on Monday.
Massive Protests Against State Authorities
Those who have come under the police radar are the parents of the brides, the grooms, and both Hindu and Muslim priests, who conducted such weddings.
The protests are mainly concentrated in Muslim-dominated areas. On Saturday police had to lathi charge and fire tear gas shells to disperse a crowd of women and their relatives who staged a protest outside Tamarhat police station in Dhubri district.
The state government is justifying the move by saying that child marriages in the state had become a menace and reached an alarming proportion thus resulting in a worsening maternal and infant mortality rate.
Action Taken Till Now
Assam police till date have registered 4,074 cases of child marriage. So far, over 2,000 people have been arrested in the massive crackdown across the state, according to reports. The arrests were made under sections of the Child Marriage Prohibition Act, 2006, but are likely to be granted bail by courts.
The state government on January 23 instructed police to apply the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
But the charges of POCSO are non-bailable and if proven guilty, one can face a maximum punishment of three years.
Report by NFHS:
The fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS), conducted in the country between 2019 and 2021, suggests that 31 per cent of the marriages in Assam are underage unions
The survey said that in the years 2019-21, 11.7 per cent of the women between the age group of 15-19 years were already mothers or pregnant at the time of the survey, which is much higher than the national average of 6.8 per cent.
With the issue snowballing into a major controversy at the national level, it needs to be looked at what would be its final outcome.
(The author is a senior journalist covering the Northeast.)