Assam to re-launch child marriage crackdown, Himanta says '3,000 to be arrested'

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced that his government is going to re-launch its campaign against child marriage in the state.

Speaking at the concluding session of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) women's wing's national executive meeting, Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that in the next drive for child marriage, Assam police will arrest around 2000-3,000 men over the next 10 days in the state.

Himanta Biswa Sarma also highlighted that he was waiting for the conclusion of the G20 Summit to again start the drive against child marriage.

“Six months back, I arrested 5,000 people for child marriage in Assam. I was waiting for the G20 to end. Now in the next 10 days, I will arrest 2,000-3,000 for child marriage as we have to eradicate it (child marriage)," he said.

"There is a law that this should not happen. And if it continues to happen, daughters from a particular group will never progress. They will keep on getting exploited," Himanta Biswa Sarma added.

"But I believe that by ending (triple) talaq, child marriage, and polygamy, the amount of work that we are doing for the Muslims, no Congress government has done before had done it before," Sarma said.

Earlier, in February 2023, Assam Police arrested at least 2,666 people in connection with cases related to child marriages in Assam.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 forbids child marriage in India. It also protects and provides assistance to the victims of child marriages.