West Bengal chief minister orders statewide sweep to curb child marriages and underage births
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a state-wide crackdown on child marriage, including house-to-house checks and penalties for families and facilitators.
At a post-cabinet press briefing in New Delhi, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari unveiled a comprehensive operation to eradicate child marriage in the state. He cited health-department data showing almost 60,000 institutional deliveries by girls under 18 in the first half of the year, with Murshidabad alone accounting for 12,847 cases. The crackdown will deploy coordinated house-to-house drives by police, health officials and social-welfare officers, using the pregnancy and delivery records to flag suspected marriages.
Officials will issue showcause notices to husbands, and anyone found facilitating or performing the ceremonies—such as priests or qazis—faces imprisonment, fines and possible withdrawal of government welfare schemes. The administration will enforce the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and the POCSO Act, which prescribe up to two years’ jail and fines for facilitators and up to life imprisonment or death penalty for sexual offences against minors. Adhikari also accused the previous state government of withholding relevant data from the centre.
Why it matters
The plan targets a massive wave of child marriages and underage pregnancies, aiming to protect minors and enforce existing laws.
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