KRISHNAGIRI: Five people, including a 25-year-old man, his parents and in-laws, were booked under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act on Monday after teachers of a government school in Krishnagiri noticed a 14-year-old girl wearing thaali to school and informed social welfare department officers.
Social welfare department sources told TNIE that the girl was married off to a 25-year-old man in the wee hours after which she attended school. “She was married to a 25- year-old man, a carpenter living near Kaveripattinam, in a temple near Bolupalli.
As she attended school with thaali, teachers realised she got married and informed child protection department. They informed social welfare department. A team from child protection and social welfare departments arrived at the school and held inquiries with the girl and teachers.”
Sources added that the girl had informed her friends that she was to get new clothes for a festival. “Last week, she told her friends that she would buy new dress for a festival and will return to school. But on Monday she came in uniform wearing a thaali. When her friends enquired, she revealed that she had got married,” the source said, adding that the marriage was conducted in darkness in front of the temple.
After inquiries, on Monday night, a social welfare department staff lodged a complaint at Krishnagiri All Women’s Police Station. A case was booked against the girl’s parents, the man who married her and his parents under various sections of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.
No one was arrested as of Tuesday evening. Social welfare department plans to conduct awareness programme against child marriage in the school, and in the villages of the girl and the man.
(To lodge child-related complaints, contact 1098, and women helpline 181)