Against All Odds: Minor girl sidesteps marriage trap set by kin, breaks free
Chitradurga: A teenage student from Challakere taluk, Chitradurga, successfully resisted a forced marriage attempt on June 3. The ninth-standard student faced significant pressure from family members during her father's absence, as they intended to marry her off to her mother's brother against her will.
She firmly rejected the arrangement, upon discovering their plan.
Authorities at Challakere police station filed charges against five individuals, including her mother, grandmother, uncle, mother's brother who tried to tie the Mangala Sutra, and another relative under sections 189(2), 54, 115(2), 352, 62, 190 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, sections 9, 10, 11 of The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and 75 JJ act, following a complaint from the CDPO office Challakere.
The young girl now resides at Bala Mandira in Chitradurga.
The village showed no signs of wedding celebrations, with no traditional attire or feast preparations. However, the intended groom attempted to tie the Mangalasutra despite the girl's opposition. A video showing her resistance to the forced marriage circulated on social media platforms. The teenager escaped from the venue despite physical abuse from her mother and others who tried to force her compliance.
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In the widely shared video, the student pleaded with her family, saying, "Please do not marry me off. I do not want this. Save me." Her family ignored her protests and tried to proceed with the ceremony forcefully. She managed to escape despite being held by multiple relatives, with the incident being captured on video.
The groom followed her with the mangalsutra, while her mother and relatives restrained her during her father's absence at work.
Her mother struck her severely, joined by other relatives in the assault. They also attacked intervening neighbours while attempting to force the groom to place the chain around her neck as she lay down. The entire incident was recorded.
Despite being firmly held, the girl continued resisting, shouting, "Help me! I can't breathe. Save me." The relatives persisted in their attempt to complete the ceremony. After a 30-minute struggle, she freed herself from the forced marriage attempt.
Some villagers recorded the incident and informed Challakere police, who arrived that evening to rescue her and relocate her to a children's home.
"She was focused on her studies and sports activities and didn't want to get married so soon. Her mother secretly planned the marriage. She fought against it alone. Meanwhile, the victim's father opposed her marriage, but relatives attempted it in his absence. Now we have filed a complaint against her parents," shared Sumitra T, supervisor at the CDPO's office, Challakere.
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