Child marriage case at Digha, three arrested

A nine-year-old girl was married to a 25-year-old youth in Digha last week.

Rabale MIDC police have arrested the mother Sheela Chauhan, 45, the groom Sunil Chauhan and the priest who conducted the marriage ceremony Narsingh Pandey, 55.

The police say poverty forced the mother of three to take the extreme step of marrying off her eldest minor daughter.

The illegal marriage took place on July 8.

All the accused are residents of Thakur chawl in Yadav Nagar area. The marriage took place at Mumbradevi hills at Atmaram temple.

A Vikhroli-based social worker Manoj Misra, who learnt about the marriage immediately informed the police. However, by the time, the police personnel reached the spot, the marriage had been conducted.

The police went over to their house and arrested the three. They confessed to the child marriage.

The police have also seized a mobile phone in which the family had recorded the marriage ceremony.

According to assistant commissioner of police Dilip Mane, “Sheela Chauhan’s husband Rajendra was an alcoholic had abandoned his family last year. She worked as a domestic help and she said she found it difficult to raise her three daughters single-handedly.”

He added, “She also feared that her daughter could fall in wrong company and hence decided to get her married to reduce her burden.”

The police have handed over Sheela’s three daughters to her relatives as she is in police custody.

A 28-year-old man who owns a transport business assaulted a police constable over parking on Bhiwandi court premises on Tuesday.

Aadesh Patil, a resident of Kharbhav area of Bhiwandi, drove to the court in his SUV.

The constable, Bhagwan Kotwal, 28, posted at the court asked him not to park his fourwheeler on the court premises.

Patil came out of his car, caught his collar and abused Kotwal. S Rathod, police subinspector from Shantinagar police station, said, “Patil had come to court for notary work. When Kotwal asked not to park the car inside, Patil got angry and assaulted Kotwal.”

The accused has been remanded in police custody till July15.

Patil was booked under section 353(assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), and other relevant sections.