Child marriage foiled in Bundi, minor rescued

Kota: The district administration in Bundi, along with the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Childline, Tuesday evening stopped the marriage of a minor girl in Karwar village and rescued her hours before the ceremony. The team later secured a court injunction restraining the girl's parents from solemnising her marriage for the next two years and directed the local police to monitor the case to safeguard her rights.A seven-member rescue team comprising CWC and Childline members conducted a recce in the village and remained at the temple as visitors throughout the day, where the wedding was scheduled for the night. To avoid suspicion, the team even participated in rituals. Acting on specific inputs, officials located the 16-year-old girl at a relative's house in Karwar and rescued her around 5pm.
According to CWC officials, the Class 9 dropout from a village in Kota district had eloped on Feb 13 with a 24-year-old man from Karwar. The youth allegedly kept her at relatives' houses in Jaipur and other places and procured a live-in certificate on a notarised stamp paper dated Feb 14 through an advocate in Kota. He also allegedly manipulated the girl's date of birth on her Aadhaar card at an e-Mitra kiosk in Karwar and circulated photographs of a purported temple wedding. Relatives reportedly dissuaded the girl's parents from filing a missing complaint, while the boy's family planned a traditional ceremony on Feb 24. CWC chairperson Seema Poddar said the team identified all those involved in the arrangements, including band, DJ, caterers and the venue, and collected evidence. On the committee's complaint, the Nainwan judicial magistrate court issued an injunction and directed Karwar police to maintain vigil. Notices will also be issued to the advocate and the unidentified e-Mitra operator.