Assam child marriage crackdown: 2,528 held so far

February 07, 2023 22:23

As the total number of arrests in the continued drive against child marriage in Assam reached 2,528 on Tuesday, the DGP said the biggest challenge for the force now is filing charge sheets within the stipulated timeframe.

The police during the day arrested 87 more people in the crackdown, which started on Friday.

"Crackdown continues. Total arrest so far 2528," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet.

Protests against the arrests by women activists were reported during the day from Silchar in Cachar district. Four of them were arrested and released on personal bond, police said.

The Director General of Police (DGP) G P Singh said that the biggest challenge for the police is now to file charge sheets within a 60 to 90 days period.

Singh said that the police did not aim to harass anybody but its role was to stop child marriage completely in the state by the next two to three years.

"We have registered 4,074 cases and over 2,500 people have been arrested till this morning. All the accused in these cases have been identified and they will be arrested and charge sheets filed against them, Singh told PTI.

On the 65 accused people already securing bail, the DGP said the focus is on ensuring that charge sheets are filed within the stipulated time frame.

"Bail is okay. To me, it is not important who stays in jail for how long. It is important that they have to be charge-sheeted and they face the music of law," he asserted.

Chairperson of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) Sunita Changkakoti told PTI that the crackdown was a much-awaited move and it will send a strong message to the society against this menace.

"We have been campaigning against child marriage for long and hold regular district review meetings in which we involve all stakeholders, including government departments like the health and education and NGOs. A concerted effort by all sections of society can help in ending the problem, she said.

The Assam police had launched the crackdown on child marriage on Friday with over 2,000 arrested within the first two days.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Separatist ideology 'dead' in J-K, people reaise it as futile: Sajad Lone

Lone, who is contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Baramulla constituency, said one of the reasons he wants to go to Parliament is to strive and advocate for the same set of laws for the children of Kashmir and the rest of the country.

Voters Arrive Via Boat To Cast Votes

The second phase of the Lok Sabha election ended on Friday, April 26, 2024, for 88 seats across 13 states.

Sailor Kumanan secures Paris Olympics quota

The Last Chance Regatta is the final qualifying event in sailing for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Arms, ammunition found in CBI raid in Bengal's Sandeshkhali

The CBI during its probe got inputs of a large cache of arms hidden in Sandeshkhali. On Friday morning, a CBI team started a search operation during which the arms, including foreign-made pistols, were seized, the officials said.

IPL 2024 too much in batters' favour: Ganguly

'...that's one area that needs to be looked at in the future, the balance between bat and ball.'