VIJAYAWADA: The wedding of a minor girl in Chekkapalli village of Nuzvid mandal in Krishna district was stopped by the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) team and Nuzvid police on Tuesday. After receiving an anonymous tip from locals, members of the ICDS team from Nuzvid, along with the Child Welfare Committee team, rushed to the spot and prevented the wedding from taking place. The teams raided the victim’s house and upon learning the facts, they stopped the event.
The wedding of the minor girl was fixed with a 21-year-old daily wage worker. The parents of the girl were taken to Nuzvid police station and were counselled in the presence of the village elders. They were further explained of the consequences of getting a girl married before she turns 18 years old.
The ICDS officials informed the parents and villagers that whoever permits, supports, performs, helps, and attends a child marriage will be held accused. “Under the Child Marriage Prohibition Act of 2006, punishment of minimum 2 years imprisonment and `1 lakh fine is imposed. Marriage mediators are also held responsible,” ICDS official Y Jayalalitha told.