The marriage of a 14-year-old girl with a 26-year-old man was stopped amid stiff resistance from parents and relatives on both sides, giving a tough time to the police, anti-child marriage activists and officials of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). The incident happened at Diguva Kantharao Cheruvu village of Yadamarri mandal, near Chittoor, on Wednesday.
According to information, a couple, working as farm workers, reportedly ran into debt owing to illness. Another family of the same village reportedly came forward to get the couple's daughter (14) married to their son (26) allegedly with a small dowry. The marriage was scheduled for Wednesday night.
Two months prior to the marriage, the girl, a IX class student, was forcibly stopped from going to the local ZP High School. Noticing the hectic activity at the houses of both the bride and the groom, the the girl’s classmates informed the matter to the Rural Organisation for Poverty Eradication Services (ROPES) and ChildLine 1098 in the morning.
Police help sought
Volunteers rushed to stop the marriage, but on finding stiff resistance from the families, they sought the help of police and ICDS officials. Seeing the police, the girl’s parents created a flutter, threatening that they would commit suicide if the marriage was disrupted.
However, after an hour-long counselling and warning that they would face legal action, the parents relented, signing an agreement against performing child marriage.
ROPES chairman K. Dhana Sekharan said the girl would be readmitted to the school, and steps would be initiated to rehabilitate her in a social welfare hostel.
