The Palamaner Police and Rural Organisation for Poverty Eradication Services (ROPES) volunteers on Thursday night stopped the betrothal of a 15-year-old girl at Kothapalle Kurappalle of Palamaner mandal. According to ROPES director K. Dhanasekharan, the parents of the girl forced her to drop out of school early in October and fixed her marriage with a 25-year-old daily wager, Sankar, of the same village. The parents were said to be suffering from chronic ailments and were in deep debt, which prompted them to their minor daughter’s marriage, which was to be held on October 29.
With the help of the Palamaner police, the Ropes team, after being alerted by suspicious neighbours, stopped the betrothal.