Tinsukia, Assam: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a significant announcement on Sunday, revealing plans for a biannual operation aimed at curbing child marriage and adding that ‘big arrests’ were likely at the next drive later this month.
During a media briefing held on Saturday, the Chief Minister expressed his optimism about eradicating the issue of child marriage in Assam by the year 2026. He stated, “Our campaign against child marriage will take place every six months. The police are doing their job, and you will hear about some big arrests once the drive is launched.”
Responding to a question posed by Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha in the state Assembly back in March, Sarma emphasized, “Our government has taken a series of steps to put an end to the menace.” He added, “By 2026, child marriage in Assam will be a thing of the past. Our government will take strong action to end this scourge.”
Sarma elaborated on the financial commitment made by the government, allocating Rs 200 crore for the campaign. These funds will facilitate the appointment of a dedicated legal advocate in each child marriage case, with the ultimate goal of securing convictions for all those accused.
“We will keep launching crackdowns against child marriage and apprehend accused persons every 2-3 months. We will open a helpline number as well, as part of our sustained drive against this practice. We have so far charge-sheeted 900 people. We have acted as per the law,” the CM added.
The Chief Minister further disclosed that his government had taken significant strides in raising public awareness about this issue. He outlined the government’s commitment to ensuring the proper rehabilitation of victims by providing scholarships, education, and free rice and food grains. “We will do everything in our power to stamp out this menace by law,” Sarma said.
According to the state government, 50 persons were arrested in the state in 2017 under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, while another 106 persons were arrested in 2018, 156 in 2019, 216 in 2020, 166 in 2021, 257 in 2022, and 3,098 in the first two months of this year.
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