A case of child marriage has come to light in Guwahati city on Thursday where a youth was arrested for eloping with a minor girl and allegedly marrying her.
Sources said that the accused youth had eloped with the minor girl days back and had been on the run. After a prolong manhunt, the police were able to apprehend the accused along with the girl from a house in city’s Gotanagar area.
The police had initiated an investigation into the case after a complaint was filed by the girl’s family at Dispur police station a few days ago.
On Wednesday night, the police raided a house in Gotanagar based on a tip-off and nabbed the accused, identified as Amit Biswas (23). It was then revealed that the duo married each other while on the run.
The police said that the accused youth works at a mobile shop in the vicinity. He is currently under the custody of Dispur police.
Earlier this year, the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led Assam government launched a statewide crackdown against child marriage cases in the state. Thousands were arrested as a result, the drive of which will continue in the state till the next assembly elections in 2026, chief minister Sarma had asserted.
While replying to a question from Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha at the state assembly in March, he said, “Our government has taken a series of measures to end the menace. By 2026, child marriage must be ended in Assam. Our government will take strong action to end Child Marriage.”
“Our government has allocated Rs 200 crore for it in this budget so that we can appoint a special advocate against each Child Marriage case. We want to see everybody convicted,” he said.
“We will launch an operation against Child Marriage in the state and arrest people every 2-3 months. We will open a helpline number,” CM Sarma added.
