Child marriage foiled in Koraput

Koraput: An attempt to marry off a 14-year-old girl to a boy two years older was foiled by the state administration at Choramaliputa in this district, officials said on Saturday.

No police case was registered as parents of both the boy and the girl gave written undertakings, which was signed by villagers as witnesses, to postpone the marriage and wait till both the children attain the age of 18 years, they said.

After getting information about the proposed marriage, a team of district officials along with police reached the village on Thursday and intervened, District Child Protection Officer (Koraput), Rajshree Das said.

"We explained to the villagers about the demerits and legal aspects of child marriage. After much difficulty we succeed in changing their decision and encouraged the parents to send their children to school," a police official said.

"We will follow up the case regularly to ensure that the children are not married before they attain the age of 18," he said.