Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Social media's influence on teenagers has reached a point where they now resort to threatening their parents to fulfil their desire even on baseless issues. In a recent incident, a 15-year-old girl met a 27-year-old man on a social media platform and fell in love. The situation escalated when they began threatening their parents with elopement if a wedding ceremony was not arranged.
Despite the absence of any auspicious dates, the Women and Child Development Department continues to receive reports of child marriages. District Programme Officer Ramnivas Budholia reported that on Sunday evening, they received information about the marriage of a minor girl in Krishnabagh Colony, under the jurisdiction of MIG police station.
Upon receiving the tip, the responsibility of investigating the matter was assigned to Mahendra Pathak of Lado Abhiyan Core Group. Pathak revealed that the department received complaint through the helpline late in the evening. The complaint stated that a minor girl was being married off from her house. Pathak, along with Child Protection Officer Bhagwan Das Sahu, Core Group member Devendra Kumar Pathak, MIG police station's Head Constable Shiv Kumar Yadav reached the location.
According to documents presented by the family, the girl is currently 15-years-old and the groom from Gujarat is 27-years-old. The preparations for marriage, including the decorated wedding mandap and the priest were ready for the ceremony.
Upon discussion with both parties, the groom's aunt initially attempted to mislead the team by claiming that the engagement ceremony in their community is performed in such a manner. However, after strict questioning she admitted that the marriage was indeed taking place.
After which legal implications were explained to the family, during which the girl stated that she was willing to marry of her own accord and mentioned that this was arranged when they threatened to elope, if not allowed to marry. The family felt compelled to proceed with the marriage. The officiating priest, Raju Mishra, claimed ignorance about the girl's age and proceeded with the marriage. All parties were informed about the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and the marriage was annulled. The groom and his family were sent back to Gujarat the same night.
