Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that 2,789 people have been arrested so far during the ongoing crackdown on child marriage. The crackdown on child marriage completed a week Friday. The Assam government has also initiated a process to take measures for the rehabilitation of ‘victims’ of child marriage. “Now, total arrest – 2789. Crackdown continues,” Sarma wrote Friday on Twitter.
Protests at various places by families of those arrested have been reported in the last few days. , Assam Police spokesperson Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan had Thursday said that no such incident took place anywhere in the state during the last 24 hours.
The Assam Police had launched the crackdown on child marriage February 3, with over 2,000 people, including Hindu and Muslim priests who officiated in these weddings, arrested within the first two days. The arrests are being carried out on the basis of 4,135 FIRs registered across Assam.
Also read: Assam: Crackdown on child marriage continues, total arrests 2,441
The Assam government has formed a cabinet sub-committee on the rehabilitation of ‘victims’ of child marriage, and Sarma’s cabinet colleagues Ranoj Pegu, Keshab Mahanta and Ajanta Neog have been named as members of the panel.
Opposition parties have criticised the manner in which the drive is being carried out. They have termed the arrests of teenage husbands and family members as ‘abuse of law’ for political gain. They have called the police action as ‘terrorising people’.
Sarma had earlier this week justified the crackdown and said nearly 17 per cent of over 6.2 lakh pregnant women in Assam last year were teenagers, according to the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal.