GUWAHATI: Four villages in Assam’s Cachar district have been officially declared child marriage-free, as announced by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
He attributed this achievement to various initiatives focused on the welfare of girls.
“Assam has taken a strong stand against child marriage. We are making significant progress in eradicating this social evil throughout the state,” Sarma wrote in a post on X on Monday.
“Leading by example, four villages in Cachar have recently been declared child marriage-free, ensuring a brighter future for our girls.”
The villages—Rukni Part IV in the Palonghat development block, Bhairabpur Part I in the Kalain development block, and Rosekandy Grant I and II in the Tapang development block—were declared child marriage-free as part of the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ initiative.
Sarma also highlighted the impact of initiatives like the Nijut Moina scheme and the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Act, 2024, in driving the effort to eliminate child marriage.
Since last year, the state has intensified its crackdown on child marriages, registering 5,348 cases and arresting 5,842 people across three special drives and routine child marriage cases.
In the latest drive earlier this month, 431 individuals were arrested, and 345 cases were registered statewide.
The first special drive, held in February 2023, saw 3,425 arrests and 4,387 cases registered. The second crackdown in October 2023 led to 913 arrests and 682 cases filed.
Chargesheets have been filed in 95% of the cases from the first two drives, with many resulting in convictions, according to police officials.
