Bengal CM announces crackdown on child marriage after 60,000 underage deliveries
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced a strict crackdown on child marriage following reports of 60,000 underage deliveries in the state. The government plans to use health records to identify cases and will prosecute husbands and facilitators under the POCSO and Prohibition of Child Marriage Acts.
Why it matters
This initiative addresses a critical public health and human rights issue by leveraging institutional data to enforce legal protections for minors.
NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced a statewide crackdown on child marriage, ordering house-to-house drives to identify underage marriages and pregnancies and warning of arrests, imprisonment and withdrawal of government welfare benefits for those involved.Speaking to the media at Nabanna after a Cabinet meeting, Adhikari said the government would invoke the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and the POCSO Act against those marrying minors as well as people who facilitate or solemnise such marriages.The announcement came after the state health department reported nearly 60,000 institutional deliveries involving underage girls between January 1 and June 30, according to figures cited by the chief minister.Nearly 60,000 underage deliveries reported in six monthsAdhikari said Murshidabad recorded the highest number, with 12,847 institutional childbirths by underage girls during the six-month period.
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