12-Year-old Bride, 17-Year-old Groom Sent Home as Authorities Step in Swiftly

KAITHAL:
In a disturbing case of underage marriage, a 12-year-old girl was married off to a 17-year-old boy under the cover of darkness in Haryana’s Kaithal district, sending shockwaves through the community. The incident unfolded in Dhand village where the bride, a school dropout from Class VI just a week ago, was wedded late on Sunday night by her labourer father, a migrant from Bihar.

The groom, a young engine mechanic from Kurukshetra, was reportedly deemed a “good match” by the girl’s family — a claim that now has landed both families in legal hot water.

Acting on a late-night tip-off received by The Tribune, Haryana’s Women and Child Development authorities along with the Kaithal police swung into action, unravelling what was initially claimed to be an engagement ceremony. The wedding, however, had already taken place by the time officials intervened.

Authorities have booked both fathers under Sections 9, 10, and 11 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, for performing, abetting and solemnising the child marriage. With no age proof available for the boy and the bride only 12 years old, the marriage has been declared null and void.

The girl, who was initially taken to her in-laws’ home in Kurukshetra, has now been placed at a government-run one-stop women’s support centre. Her counselling has begun under the supervision of the Child Welfare Committee. The groom, meanwhile, was initially moved to a child care institution and later handed back to his family.

The girl’s father, who earns around Rs 5,000 monthly and has five children, defended his actions citing dire financial conditions. “I can’t feed everyone. The boy’s family promised she could continue her studies even after marriage. That gave us some hope,” he said, though he later contradicted himself, saying it was only an engagement.

He insisted that the function was not a full-fledged wedding, though a priest had performed rituals and the bride had left with the groom’s family, which he could not explain.

Additional Chief Secretary (WCD) Sudhir Rajpal and Kaithal SP Astha Modi personally monitored the case through the night. After receiving false information initially, the real bride and groom were traced to Kurukshetra and brought back by a police team led by DSP Gurvinder Singh and Protection Officer Suneeta.

Authorities are now on the lookout for the priest who solemnised the illegal marriage.

This incident once again highlights the persistence of child marriage in rural India, despite stringent laws. It serves as a grim reminder that financial distress and lack of awareness continue to threaten the childhood and future of young girls across the country.