A 13-year-old girl was married off to a 40-year-old man in Telangana, drawing widespread condemnation from activists and parents.
A teacher of the school where the Class 8 student studies informed the police.
The police have charged the man, his wife, a priest who performed rituals at the venue of the illegal act, and a mediator who helped organise the ‘wedding’ in Nandigama, 55 km from Hyderabad.
Visuals submitted to the police showed the Class 8 student holding a garland and standing in front of the 40-year-old man. They are flanked by a woman, suspected to be the wife of the man, and the priest.
Child marriage in India is one of the most serious crimes committed against children. It is prevalent in some states despite a law – Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 – to root it out, according to a report by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation.
Child marriage ends childhood and puts children at high risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse. It also adversely impacts their rights to education, health and protection.
Assam is one of the states where the campaign to end child marriage has been highly successful. There had been a whopping 81 per cent reduction in child marriage cases across 20 districts of Assam between 2021-22 and 2023-24, according to a report by the India Child Protection in July 2024.
