Beed: A case of child marriage has come to light in Kaij tehsil after a minor girl was admitted to a hospital with serious medical complications, prompting police to register a case against five people, including her husband, parents and in-laws.
The incident surfaced when the girl, a resident of Nandurghat village, was taken to Solapur District Hospital with severe abdominal pain and heavy bleeding. During treatment, doctors found that she had suffered a miscarriage at six months of pregnancy.
The matter reached the police after hospital staff checked her Aadhaar card during admission and found that she was underage. Authorities immediately informed the police, following which a Zero FIR was registered in Solapur. The case was later transferred to Kaij Police Station for further investigation late Friday night.
According to police, the girl was a Class 10 student when she was married off around two years ago to Laxman Shinde. Despite knowing that she was a minor, her parents, Sakharam Kale and Balibai Kale, along with her in-laws, Dada Shinde and Bhagabai Shinde, allegedly arranged and carried out the marriage.
Police Sub-Inspector Laxman Kirtane said that strict sections of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and the POCSO Act have been applied in the case. He said the husband has been specifically charged under the POCSO Act as the girl was a minor and had been subjected to physical relations over the past two years.
The girl’s health had started worsening on April 14. She was first taken to the Rural Hospital in Nandurghat and then shifted to the Sub-District Hospital in Washi in Dharashiv district. As her condition became critical, she was moved to the Dharashiv District Hospital and later referred to Solapur for advanced treatment. Doctors said that although she suffered a miscarriage, her condition is now stable.
Kaij police have begun further investigation and are also looking into the role of other relatives who attended the wedding.
