DNA Exclusive: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's Crackdown Against Child Marriage

New Delhi: The Assam government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy on child marriage. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that strict action will be taken against people who conduct child marriages in the state. 

According to the National Family Health Survey, Assam is among the states in the country where maternal and child mortality rates are the highest. One of the main reasons for this is child marriage. In 31 per cent of marriages in Assam, the age of the girl is less than 18 years and the boy is less than 21. In a bid to tackle this issue, a widespread crackdown is taking place against the illegal practice. As per reports, 2,044 people have been arrested on Friday.

In today's DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan will analyse how the Assam CM is cracking down against child marriages in the state.

#DNA: बाल-विवाह पर असम वाला एक्शन देशभर में कब होगा ?#Assam #ChildMarriageCrackdown @irohitr pic.twitter.com/Ixv8rkC4A9 — Zee News (@ZeeNews) February 3, 2023

 

The Assam cabinet had last month passed a resolution on action against the practice in the state. It was decided that a case would be registered under the POCSO Act against men and youths who marry girls below 14 years of age. The Assam police have registered more than 4,000 cases and made more than 2,000 arrests today.

The top 5 districts where the highest child marriage cases were recorded are Dhubri, Hojai, Morigaon, Udalgiri, and Kokrajhar.

Assam Chief Minister is content with the arrests being made for a serious crime such as child marriage as it had become a huge problem in the state. Despite the support he received for eradicating child marriages, Sarma was criticised by a few for targetting the Muslim community. However, Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that child marriage was a societal problem and was not related to religion.