Police avert child marriage in Baner, rescue 15-year-old girl

Pune: The Baner police on Sunday afternoon averted a child marriage and rescued a girl (15) from a wedding pandal in the area.The police on the same day registered a case under provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006 against eight people, including the 22-year-old bridegroom, the girl's parents, the priest, some relatives, the wedding photographer, and others. The police then shifted the girl to a govt observation home.At least 30-35 people were present at the wedding ceremony. Police served notices to all these individuals, asking them to cooperate with the investigations.Senior inspector Chandrashekhar Sawant of the Baner police said, "The girl's family hail from Parbhani district in Marathwada and migrated to Pune city after the Covid-19 lockdown. Her father works as a security guard here, while some other relatives work at construction sites. The relatives of the girl's parents also hail from different districts of Vidarbha region."Sawant added, "The girl is a school dropout and stays at home. Her father has married for the second time, and the girl did not get along with her stepmother. So, she was residing with her elder sister, who is married. At some point, the girl's family collectively decided to marry her off to an adult who is seven years older and a daily wage worker in the Balewadi area."Sub inspector Balasaheb Zarekar of the Baner police said, "Someone called the police control room, following which we visited the marriage pandal and verified the age of the girl. We then collected photographs taken by the photographer as evidence and also recorded statements of the priest and others. The bridegroom knew that the girl was a minor and despite this, he gave his nod for the wedding."