More than 1,800 people have been arrested in India's northeastern state of Assam, following a massive crackdown against child marriages, State Chief Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed on Friday.
Through Twitter, Sarma said the crackdown began early in the morning and will continue over the next few days, adding that he requested the state police to act against the menace with a "spirit of zero tolerance."
Himanta Biswa Sarma Tweet
© Photo : Twitter
On Thursday, Sarma said that the police were investigating 4,004 cases of child marriage registered across the state in less than two weeks.
Himanta Biswa Sarma Tweet
© Photo : Twitter
In January, the Assam cabinet approved a crackdown on child marriages under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences or POCSO Act and other laws.
A bridegroom who marries a girl under 14 years of age will face strict charges under the POSCO, and men who marry girls aged 14-18 will be charged under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006.
The move came after the 2019-2020 National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) showed that the percentage of women aged 20-24 who had married before the legal age, 18, in the state was 31.8 percent, compared to the national average of 23.3 percent.