Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)

Bantwal, Aug 21: Officials of women and child welfare department, who came to know that preparations had been made to marry off a minor girl, stopped the marriage recently.

The incident happened at Navoor village in the taluk. Engagement ceremony was planned at the residence of the girl at Navoor on Saturday August 17. The marriage was to be held at Moodbidri on Monday August 19. The officials therefore jumped into action just in time as they had no time.

The officials contacted the headmistress of the school where the girl had studied, and obtained her age proof. As soon it became clear that the would-be-bride was a minor, they contacted the tahsildar on Saturday evening and got an emergency notice signed. They then went to the house of the girl along with police officials, and got bonds executed by the parents of the girl to the affect that the engagement ceremony and marriage function of the minor girl would not be proceeded with.

It is gathered that the girl's parents were warned against doing anything relating to the girl's marriage till she attains the age of 18 on January, 2020.

Women and child development department official here, Gayatri Kambali, child protection officer from Mangaluru, Kumar, local gram panchayat development officer, Rachan Kumar, village accountant, Kumar, and police personnel of the rural police station here visited the girl's residence.

It is learnt that when the officials reached the girl's home, preparations had been made for holding engagement ceremony. When the officials told the family that law does not permit minor's marriage, the father of the girl confessed that he works abroad and that he arranged the marriage in a hurry as he was to go back to his job. The family thereafter cooperated with the officials.