A family's bid to marry off a minor girl was thwarted thanks to timely intervention by district authorities and police officials here on Sunday.
The 17-year-old girl, a Plus Two student, was about to be married to her maternal uncle, according to Venanthur police.
Following a tip-off from the Collector's office about preparations for a child marriage, Revenue officials visited the Ponkurichi Eswaran Temple late on Saturday evening.
From there, they traced the groom's house and began questioning the family members.
“Initially, the families of the bride and the groom denied that they were preparing for a child marriage,” said Rasipuram Tahsildar P. Selvakumar who was at the spot along with Rasipuram Revenue Inspector S. Saravanan and Alawaipatti Village Administrative Officer Ms. Vasantha.
Their version was that the wedding arrangements were for the younger sister of Umamaheswari, the mother of the minor girl.
They also claimed that the groom from Salem was yet to arrive, he added.
Though the parents claimed that their daughter was at her friend's house to study for the exams, the officials noticed her slipping out through the back door and arriving through the front door pretending that nothing was amiss.
“We learnt that they were lying through their contradictory statements and they were also not ready to cooperate….so, we informed the police”, Mr. Selvakumar said.
High Drama
High drama ensued when the police party escorting the officials arrived at the house where the groom's mother pretended to have a fainting fit while another kin rushed into the room threatening to commit suicide as a “bonafide” marriage was being ruined.
It was only after the police took key family members to the station that the families confessed that they were indeed making arrangements for a child marriage.
Superintendent of Police M. Sathiya Priya said that no arrests were made while an FIR was also not registered as the marriage was stopped.
“After consulting with the Additional Director of Prosecution, the persons concerned were given a stern warning and let off”, she said.
