Assam: Man gets 25 years’ rigorous imprisonment for forcibly marrying minor
In the past few months, the Assam government began a crackdown on child marriage and arrested thousands for their involvement
A special court in Assam’s Hailakandi district on Saturday sentenced a 30-year-old man to 25 years of imprisonment for allegedly abducting and forcibly marrying a 13-year-old girl in January last year.
Police have identified the man as Bijoy Bin, a resident of Dholaisit village in Hailakandi. According to police records, a case was registered against Bin on January 18, 2022, in this regard following which he was arrested but later granted bail after a few months.
According to the family members of the minor girl, she had gone to a religious event in the nearby village on January 16, 2022, but did not return home.
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Police said that two days later, the family members found the minor girl at Bin’s house, and the girl said that were married, following which the family filed a complaint with the police.
Police said a case was registered against Bin at that time based on the complaint from the family members under section 366 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for abducting and forcibly marrying the minor.
On January 20, 2022, police arrested Bin and further registered cases under section 9 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against him.
According to public prosecutor advocate Monika Deb, the accused was granted bail after five months and 13 days in custody. However, considering the victim’s family members’ appeal, the court decided to hear the case on a fast-track process.
“Within one year and four months, the special court completed all hearings and issued its verdict. This is one of the rare examples,” said the prosecutor.
Deb said special judge Sanjay Hazarika sentenced Bijoy to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under the POCSO Act. Under 366 IPC, he received five years of rigorous imprisonment, a total of 25 years. Moreover, the court advised him to pay ₹10,000 each in both cases.
Deb said during the hearing, five witnesses, including the charge police officer, recorded their statements, and a special team examined the girl.
“In the medical examination of the victim, the special team found that the allegations are true and she went through sexual intercourse. She admitted that Bin abducted her and forcibly married her,” said advocate Deb.
Assam government in recent months took strict actions against child marriage with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announcing a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy against such activities.
In the past few months, the Assam government began a crackdown on child marriage and arrested thousands for their involvement. The chief minister also requested the courts to proceed with such cases on a fast-track basis. Sarma recently said that this drive will continue till the issue is resolved completely.