Girl, 15, foils parents’ plan to marry her off
Bihar teenager was reportedly denied food and beaten up for revolting against the decision
Ateenage girl in Bihar foiled her family’s plan to marry her off after she shot off an emotional letter to the head of the district, urging him to intervene urgently.
Acting on her appeal, the official rushed to her village on Thursday and asked her parents to defer the marriage to honour her wish.
The parents had fixed the marriage of Resham Kumari, 15, a Grade 11 student from southern Bihar’s Gaya district, to Pawan Kumar.
But the girl was not willing to enter into a nuptial contract at such a tender age and wanted to pursue further studies.
Trouble for the girl mounted ■ when her parents stopped her from attending classes after the marriage was finalised.
She was also reportedly denied food and beaten up for revolting against her parents’ decision.
Left with no option, she wrote about her trauma to the local Gaya district magistrate, Abhishek Kumar Singh, seeking his urgent intervention. “I want to pursue my studies, but my parents are bent on solemnising my marriage. They also beat me up when I opposed this marriage,” she wrote in the letter.
She also said her parents had paid dowry to the boy’s parents for this marriage.
The official got the letter on Wednesday and next day he reached Balkhora village.
Singh heaped praise on the girl for opposing the child marriage and warned her parents of legal action. “This is not a family matter, rather it’s a social issue which has its bearing on the entire society,” he told the girl’s parents.