Police arrests boy and his father against alleged child marriage case, sends them to jail

In the name of preventing child marriage, the police arrested a young man and his father and sent them to jail. The police is conducting a massive crackdown on child marriage throughout the state and this is when the untoward incident happened in Moniyarkhal tea garden under Palanghat Police Outpost of Dholai police Station area.

As per the details of the incident, Palanghat Outpost Police arrested Kuti Das of Moniyarkhal tea garden and his son Saurabh Das on charges of child marriage and sent them to jail on February 3. The families of both parties expressed strong anger about the role of the police.

While giving details of the incident to the media on Monday, Kutu Bagoti, a resident of Moniyarkhal tea garden, said that after learning about her daughter’s love affair with Saurabh Das, the son of neighbor Kuti Das, on February 2, a discussion with elders of both communities was held and it was assented that they would be married when they reach an appropriate age. Meanwhile, the two families visit each other as neighbors. And in this situation, on February 3, when the mother and daughter went to the boy’s home, the police came over. They arrested the two young lovers and the boy’s father. While the girl was released, the boy and the his father were sent to jail. Bagoti also said that Palanghat Police came to her house on Sunday night and pressured her to say that child marriage had indeed taken place.

Meanwhile, Maina Das, the wife of arrested Kuti Das, said that her son was not married to Kutu Bagati’s daughter. There is no case against them. But she could not understand why the police sent them to jail. However, there is no response from Palanghat Outpost Police on this incident.

Speaking to reporters, Maina Das said, “I am sick. The girl and her mother came to visit us. The girl’s mother told her to prepare food for me. So accordingly the girl was cutting vegetables. This is when the Police came and took her alongwith my son and husband. We repeatedly told them that they were not married but they did not pay any heed to us. My husband underwent an operation just two months back. Now who will feed me? Neither the girl’s family nor anyone from our family lodged any case of child marriage.”