Fearing the stringent action being taken by the Assam government against child marriage, a woman who was married to a man from South Salmara-Mankachar district just three months ago died by suicide.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 12, 2023 01:01 IST
The woman’s body has been sent for post mortem. (Representative photo)
By India Today Web Desk: Fearing the stringent action being taken by the Assam government against child marriage, a woman who was married to a man from South Salmara-Mankachar district just three months ago died by suicide.
The woman has been identified as a resident of Kamar Pada village falling in the jurisdiction of South Salmara police station. The woman’s body has been sent for post mortem.
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This is the second incident of a woman taking her own life after the Assam government started taking stringent action against child marriages in the state.
Earlier this month, a 17-year-old girl in Assam’s Cachar district took her own life after her parents broke their promise and refused to let her marry the boy she loved.
In another case, a 23-year-old woman in Golakgank, whose husband and father were arrested in a child marriage case in Dhubri district, arrived at a police station and threatened to commit suicide if they were not released. The woman fainted when she saw the police take her husband and father to court.
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In a bid to bring down the infant mortality and maternal mortality rates in the state, the Assam government, helmed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has decided to take action against child marriages in the state.
Those who have married girls below the age of 14 are being booked under the Pocso Act while those who have married girls aged between 14 and 18 are being tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the drive would continue till the 2026 Assembly elections. The crackdown, however, has drawn flak from the Opposition, and triggered protests by affected families in various places across the state.
(With inputs from Ajay More)
