New Delhi: Following the arrest of many people under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act in Assam, women have been protesting against the state government.
In BJP-ruled Assam, efforts to prevent child marriage have intensified. The arrests began on February 1 on the orders of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma on about 4,074 complaints received in this regard.
Of this, around 8,000 people have been registered as criminals. Around 3,000 people have been arrested so far, including Maulana, Ghazis, parents and guardians who have ended their marriage in this case, which mostly involves Muslims. About 2,000 of them, mostly wage labourers, have been sent to jail.
Among those arrested were those who married girls below 14 years of age and were sent to jail under the POCSO Act. In this case, there have been controversies that a case has been registered without a complaint.
It is said that the police stations are stuck because the victims of these people do not file complaints and cannot gather evidence. Due to such reasons, action in POCSO cases has become problematic in Assam.
Meanwhile, a widow who was living with 2 children in South Salmara Mankachar district committed suicide by consuming poison. The young man who married this girl, who was less than 18 years old, died during the Corona Pandemic. In this case, there has been a complaint that the woman committed suicide due to the fear that her father will be arrested.
Assam’s Dubri district has recorded the highest number of cases at 374, Hojai district at 255 and Morigaon district at 224. Due to this, the young women affected by the actions of men and their supporters have been protesting in front of the police stations for the last 2 days. They were dispersed by beating them with sticks and throwing tear gas canisters. The political parties of Assam have not yet shown serious opposition to this issue.
