Thanjavur village of Tamilnadu witnessed a case of child marriage getting six people arrested for forcibly throwing a underage wedding. A minor boy and girl were forced to marry after a group of villagers hinted of them having a love relationship.
The boy is 17 and the girl 16, they study in Class 12 and attend the same school. The boy, along with a friend, had gone to the girl’s house on Monday night. A few villagers noticed them talking together around 12.30 am, according to reports. The incident took place near Thiruvonam in Thanjavur district. The two were discovered talking to each other in the early hours of Tuesday.
After figuring out they were lovers, the villagers insisted the parents to get them married. Under pressure from the villagers, the parents took a quick temple wedding around 3 am on Tuesday. Regarding this, the panchayat union welfare officer for Thiruvonam, Kamala Devi, informed the police. An inquiry was conducted and six people were arrested for forcing the minors to marry.
According to India Today, those arrested were identified as Raja, 51, Ayyavu, 55, Raman, 62, Gopu, 38, Nadimuthu, 40, and Kanniyan, 50. The boy was sent to a juvenile home in Thanjavur, while the girl was sent to a government home. The accused were charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and provisions of the Prohibition of the Child Marriage Act.
Further investigation is underway.
