Minor Girl’s Marriage Bid Foiled In Odisha’s Cuttack

Cuttack: Acting swiftly, Childline officials and police prevented a 16-year-old girl from being married off to a man from Madhya Pradesh in Odisha’s Cuttack city.

Childline officials had received information about a wedding ceremony in which a minor girl was to be married to a 25-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh at a temple on Wednesday.

The officials informed the Cantonment police station. A police team reached the temple, foiled the attempt for the marriage and rescued the minor girl, said a police official.

However, before the police reached the temple, the groom escaped from the spot. The police have detained four persons, including family members of the girl and mediators in this case.

The minor girl was produced before the District Child Welfare Committee and her statement was recorded, IANS quoted the police official as saying.

Childline member Narayan Sukla said when their team reached the temple, the mob there gheraoed them and helped the groom to escape. However, the girl was rescued and taken to Cantonment police station. The girl is only 16 years old and passed her matriculation exam last year, he said.

He said that the marriage was being conducted without the consent of the girl. A mediator is the mastermind behind this child marriage, he alleged.