Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Child marriages are on the rise again in rural areas, with several incidents of girls being married off at a young age. In just the past eleven days, district police have successfully intervened in seven such cases, preventing these girls from facing a life-altering crisis.
Superintendent of police Dr Vinaykumar Rathod had directed police forces to gather intelligence about potential child marriages. Acting on this, the "Bharosa Pathak" team conducted discreet surveillance from April 30 to May 10, with informants reporting cases across villages in the Phulad, Fulambri, Karmad, Khultabad, and Vadod Bazaar areas. The police team, led by assistant police inspector Arati Jadhav, assistant police inspector Sunil Ingale, sub-inspector Sheshrao Chavan, and child line counsellors Nitesh Dhurve, Sachin Daud, and Sunil Ingale, acted swiftly to prevent the marriages.
Parents reluctant to let go of tradition
Among the girls targeted were 15-year-old minors, such as a girl from Kekat Jalgaon in Phulad, and others aged 16 in Phulambri, Wanegaon, and Karmad. Families cited poverty, while some were pressured by traditional ties to push for early marriages. In each case, police educated the parents on the harmful effects of child marriage on the girls' physical and mental well-being. After counseling, parents signed affidavits acknowledging the risks, and legal action was taken in front of child welfare committee chairperson Adv. Asha Sherkhane-Katke.