Golokganj Police thwart child marriage in night raid; Six including groom and Kazi arrested

Dhubri, Feb 21: In an operation, the Golokganj police raided a wedding venue and foiled a child marriage on Tuesday night. The police arrested six people, including the groom and the Kazi who was going to solemnise the marriage. The minor bride was rescued and sent to a shelter home.

According to the police, they received a tip-off from a secret source that a 33-year-old man, who was already married and had two children, was going to marry a minor girl at Boro Charaikhola village in Golokganj. The police team, led by the officer-in-charge, Devjit Kalita, reached the spot and caught the groom, identified as Ainul Haque, along with the Kazi, Sahabuddin Mir, and the parents of the bride and groom.

The police said that the bride, who was underage, was taken into custody and later handed over to an organisation called Sakhi in Gauripur, where she would be provided with counselling and legal aid. It was informed that Haque's wife had allegedly eloped with another man, which might have prompted him to marry the minor girl.

The police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act against the accused and are investigating the matter further. The police have also appealed to the public to report any such cases of child marriage to them and help in preventing this social evil.