As many as 3,015 people have been arrested by Indian police in the 10 days since the government launched a massive crackdown on illegal child marriage, Assam state chief Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Monday.
Saying that the drive against the social problem would continue, he added that the positive side about it is that perpetrators are coming out to turn themselves in to the police.
What is Behind Massive Crackdown on Child Marriage in Assam?
Currently, the government is arresting perpetrators who have married minors (under 18 in India), as well as those who have facilitated the illegal marriages, which are usually close relatives of the victims who have sold them off.
The main objective — apart from putting an end to the illegal practice itself — is to reduce the rising infant mortality rate, which has been a side effect of child marriage in the state.
As part of the current crackdown, those who have married girls under 14 are being booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act and those who have married girls aged between 14 and 18 are being booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
Sarma, a senior Bharatiya Janata Party politician and state chief, said the crackdown will last until the 2026 state assembly elections.
Meanwhile, the move has triggered protests by families of those arrested in various places across the state.