District officials prevented the marriages of two minor girls that were scheduled to take place at Sri Kolanjiappar Temple near Virudhachalam in the district on Wednesday.
According to official sources, the marriage of a 17-year-old girl with a 27-year-old man was scheduled to be solemnised at the temple. Acting on a tip-off, Collector S. Suresh Kumar directed officials from the Social Welfare Department to stop the marriage. A team of officials along with activists of Childline visited the spot and stopped the marriage.
In another incident, officials learnt about the marriage of a 15-year-old girl with her maternal uncle at the temple. The marriage was stopped. The girls were produced before the Child Welfare Committee and admitted to a Government recognised home for girls. The parents were explained about the ill-effects of child marriage and warned of arrest if they conducted the marriage.
