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Underage bride in a Hindu temple: Sometimes tolerated in temples and mosques
Photo: Prakash Hatvalne/AP
Police in the Indian state of Assam have arrested more than 1,800 men.
They are suspected of having married or arranged marriages with underage girls.
The police began making arrests on Thursday evening, said the head of government of the east Indian state.
The action is a prelude to a sustained crackdown on this practice, said Himanta Biswa Sarma.
More people are expected to be arrested, including those who help register such marriages in temples and mosques.
Higher maternal and child mortality
"Child marriage is the main reason for child pregnancy, which in turn is responsible for the high maternal and child mortality," complained Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Marriage under the age of 18 is illegal in India, but the law is flouted in many places.
According to UN estimates, India has the most child brides in the world at around 223 million.
Almost 1.5 million underage girls are married there every year, the children's charity Unicef reported in a 2020 report.
Whether they are Muslims, Hindus, Christians, tribesmen or members of the tea garden communities (
multi-ethnic groups of tea garden workers, editor's note
) - there are men from all faiths and communities who are being arrested for this heinous crime, Sarma said.
According to the authorities in Assam, they have recently registered more than 4,000 cases of child marriage.
Apr/Reuters
