Officials stop 4 child marriages in Tamil Nadu

NAMAKKAL/TIRUCHY: Four child marriages were stopped in Namakkal and Tiruchy on Monday, thanks to the timely intervention of the authorities.A 13-year-old Class VIII student of Nathupallipatti on the Kolli Hills, was to marry S Suresh of Sooklampattikombai in Thuraiyoor on Monday in a temple at Sooklampattikombai in Tiruchy district. On Sunday evening, a team of officials led by Namakkal Deputy Tahsildar R Ragunathan, Revenue Inspector C Sakthi­vel and Village Administrative Officer G Jayabalan warned the parents of both the girl and bridegroom that severe action would be taken if they went ahead with the wedding. Similarly, a Class XI student of Valiapatti government school was saved by a team of officials led by Namakkal Tahsildar R Pushpavathi and Inspector M Ravichandran. The 15-year-old girl’s father S Selvaraj of N Pudupatti had decided to give her away in marriage to P Karthick of Pottireddipatti near here. The ceremony was scheduled to take place at a hall on the Alanganatham Branch Road on Monday.Sources said one of her classmates informed the sub-collector about the marraige. “We went to the marriage hall on Sunday evening, acting on a complaint from the Namakkal sub-collector. After ascertaining the girl’s age, we advised the parents to cancel the ceremony. And they obliged without much resistance,” Tahsildar Pushpavathi told Express on Monday. The parents of both the girl and the boy gave a written promised that they would not go ahead with the marriage as the girl is a minor, he added.Namakkal district was in the news last year following a series of child marriages performed at Jambumadai village. Since then, the district administration has been taking concerted efforts to stop such marriages.In Tiruchy, around 7.30 am on Sunday, ChildLine received an anonymous call informing them about the  marriage of a 14-year-old girl from KK Nagar with a 30-year-old construction worker R Tiruppathi of Kulithalai, scheduled between 7.30 and 9 am on Monday.Child Welfare Committee member and advocate T Jayantee Ranee and district social welfare officer K Yasodhai visited the spot.According to Jayantee, “When we reached the spot, the relatives of the girl argued with us, claiming that she was not a minor. As the girl was illiterate, they could not produce any age proof. But we were firm and took her away with the help of the KK Nagar police.”Subsequently, KK Nagar police registered a case against the groom Tiruppathi, his parents, Raju and Vellayammal and parents of the bride Tirupathi and Mookayee. Later, the team took the girl to the GH for an expert opinion. There, it was certified that she was around 14 years old. All five persons were remanded to judicial custody.Another call was received informing officials about the  marriage of a girl studying in Class XII from Thuvakudi, with a 29-year-old man. The wedlock was scheduled to take place at the Sedimalai Murugan temple in Thuvakudi on Monday.“Around 4 am, we reached the house of the bride even as she was getting ready for the ceremony. As soon as we intervened, relatives claimed that she was of marriageable age. However, after the verification, we found that she was a minor. A case was registered against the groom and the parents,” Jayantee said. Later, the police arrested groom Perumal, his parents, and bride’s parents. They were remanded to judicial custody. Both the girls were placed under the care of ChildLine in Tiruchy.