Nagaur DC gets child marriage complaint, asks cops for report
Two villagers have filed a complaint with the Nagaur district collector that a five-year-old girl was married off in Pipapsar village under Sribalaji police station on April 4.
The matter came to light on Friday when two villagers, Roop Singh and Jor Singh, submitted a memorandum to district collector Rajan Vishal demanding action against the Patwari and anganwari worker of the village for not making any effort to stop the child marriage.
The matter was reported to the patwari and local police but they did nothing to stop the child marriage, alleged Roop Singh in his memorandum.
The district collector has asked the Nagaur sub-divisional magistrate, Paras Ram Tak, to investigate the matter and submit a report on Monday.
“I have asked the SHO of Sribalaji police station to submit a report in the matter by Saturday morning,” said Tak. “I have also asked him to explain why he did not take any action or go to the village after receiving a complaint about child marriage,” he added.
Patwari, anganwari worker and officials of the women and child welfare department have also been summoned to furnish their explanation, said Tak. Action will be taken against the erring people once the investigation is over, he added.
Meanwhile, Puran Mal, SHO Sribalaji police station said that he acted as soon as he received a complaint about a child marriage taking place in Pipasar village. “We had received a complaint on April 4 that someone in Pipasar village was marrying off his minor sister along with two other sisters, who are adults. After reaching the village we told the man that he cannot get his minor sister married.”
The complainants and the brother of the minor girl, whose marriage they say have taken place, are involved in a land dispute and they have lodged this complaint out of that enmity, added Puran.
The minor girl’s brother works as a farm labourer.
According to a UNICEF report, more than 40 percent of the world’s child marriages takes place in India.