Assam’s Child Marriage Crackdown: 2,278 People Arrested in Three Days

GG News Bureau

Guwahati, 6th Feb. For the third day in a row, the Assam Police Department continued its crackdown on child marriage in the state, with 2,278 arrests made on Sunday.

According to a police statement, the arrests were made based on 4,074 FIRs filed across the state.

At least 139 people have been apprehended in Biswanath, followed by 130 in Barpeta and 126 in Dhubri, the statement said.

Other districts where over 100 arrests have been made are Baksa (123) and Bongaigaon and Hojai (117 each), it maintained.

Dhubri had the most FIRs filed against child marriages (374), followed by Hojai (255), and Morigaon (224).

On Saturday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the campaign against child marriage will continue until the next assembly elections in 2026.

He stated that parents who are involved in underage marriages are currently being given a warning.

The CM added that men marrying girls below 14 years of age will be facing non-bailable charges, while those marrying girls between 14 to 16 years of age will be charged under bailable sections.

The state cabinet recently approved a proposal to prosecute men who marry girls under the age of 14 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.

The cabinet decided that those who have married girls aged 14 to 18 will face prosecution under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006.

The perpetrators will be arrested, and the marriages will be declared illegal.

If the groom is under the age of 14, he will be sent to a reformatory.

According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data, Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being the leading cause .

An average of 31 percent of marriages registered in the state are in the prohibited age group, the NFHS had noted.