File photo: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari (Picture credit: PTI)
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced a statewide crackdown on child marriage, ordering house-to-house drives to identify underage marriages and pregnancies and warning of arrests, imprisonment and withdrawal of government welfare benefits for those involved. Speaking to the media at Nabanna after a Cabinet meeting, Adhikari said the government would invoke the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and the POCSO Act against those marrying minors as well as people who facilitate or solemnise such marriages. The announcement came after the state health department reported nearly 60,000 institutional deliveries involving underage girls between January 1 and June 30, according to figures cited by the chief minister.
Nearly 60,000 underage deliveries reported in six months
Adhikari said Murshidabad recorded the highest number, with 12,847 institutional childbirths by underage girls during the six-month period. South 24 Parganas followed with 4,178 cases. He said West Bengal tops the country in child marriages and childbirths involving girls below 18 years of age. The chief minister said every case of pregnancy and childbirth involving a girl below 18 must be reported. The health records would be used by authorities to identify suspected child marriages and initiate action against those responsible. The proposed house-to-house drives will involve coordination between the police, health and social welfare departments and district administrations, with records of underage pregnancies and institutional deliveries being used to identify vulnerable cases.
Husbands, facilitators face legal action
Adhikari said husbands of women found to have been married while underage would be issued showcause notices and asked to produce valid proof of their wife's age. "If they fail to provide valid proof of the age, strict action will be taken," he said. He warned that police would initiate criminal action and make arrests in cases detected during the crackdown. "Police action will be initiated, and arrests will be made," Adhikari said. The government will also withdraw welfare and other scheme benefits from people found to be involved in child marriages, he said. The chief minister issued a warning to priests, qazis and others who solemnise or facilitate underage marriages. Those found involved would face imprisonment and fines under the law. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act provides for imprisonment of up to two years and/or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh for people involved in promoting, permitting or conducting a child marriage. Adhikari also said the POCSO Act would be strictly applied, pointing out that sexual relations with a girl below 18 constitute an offence irrespective of whether she is married. He said physical relations with a girl below 18 attract provisions of the POCSO Act, with prison terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment and, in certain circumstances, the death penalty. Cases involving pregnancy of minors would attract particularly strict scrutiny and action, he said.
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Government targets families and those facilitating marriages
The crackdown will target not only families arranging underage marriages but also husbands, facilitators and those conducting the ceremonies, with authorities expected to use health records to identify suspected cases. The issue has particular significance in West Bengal, where 19th-century social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar led campaigns against child marriage and for women's education. Adhikari also alleged that the previous Trinamool Congress government had failed to share data on child marriages and underage childbirths with the Centre. The chief minister said the administration would treat cases of child marriage as offences requiring police action and prosecution under the applicable laws.
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