Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Seven people, including the groom were booked for child marriage on Friday, under the relevant sections of Child Marriage Prohibition Act 2006.
The story revolves around a 16-year-old girl whose parents came to know about their daughter's love affair with a young boy living nearby, and fearing a wrong step on their daughter's part the parents decided to arrange her engagement with another guy of their choice. Upset with her father's decision, the daughter left home. After which a missing complaint was filed at Tejaji Nagar Police Station.
Acting on a complaint filed by the mother the police located the girl and handed her over to her parents. Seeing the daughter's persistence, disregarding her young age and future prospects, she was sent with an 18-year-old boy, without marriage.
District programme officer Ramniwas Budholiya stated that the girl's mother filed a complaint with the Child Helpline. Based on this complaint, immediate instructions were given to Mahendra Pathak from Anti-Child Marriage Flying Squad Leader of the Lado Campaign Core Group for an investigation.
Inquiries revealed that the age of the girl was 16 years 2 months according to her 9th grade marksheet, at the time of marriage.
The girl's parents stated that the boy had taken her away and married her. Pathak, along with core group member Shailesh Sharma and Constable Deepak Parmar from the Juvenile Unit, reached the boy's house in Ralamandal where the underage girl was also present.
According to the marksheet presented by the parents, the boy was 18 years and 10 months old. The boy's family admitted that they conducted the marriage at home, succumbing to the children's wishes.
Pathak reported that the underage girl made a false allegation about monetary exchange between her parents and in-laws.
Based on the marriage photos and age proofs provided by the families, a case was registered at Tejaji Nagar Police Station.
An FIR was filed under Sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Child Marriage Prohibition Act against the boy who married the underage girl, along with the parents of the boy and a family friend involved in the marriage.
