The Assam chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Wednesday, said more than 1,039 individuals were apprehended during the second statewide crackdown on child marriages, on Tuesday.
This operation followed the first such crackdown earlier this year, which resulted in the detention of several individuals across the state.
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Updating the development on X, Sarma posted: “In a significant effort to combat child marriage, the Assam Police initiated a special operation in the early hours of the day, leading to the arrest of over 800 individuals.”
He further noted that the number of arrests related to this social issue is expected to increase as the operation is still ongoing.
On September 11, Sarma informed the Assam assembly that a total of 3,907 individuals had been arrested in child marriage-related cases over the past five years, with 3,319 of them facing charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).
According to sources, the Assam Police conducted raids in various locations, including Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, and Dhubri, on October 2. In Kokrajhar, a total of 24 individuals were apprehended from Gossaigaon, Serfanguri, Kachugaon, and Bogoribari. In Bongaigaon, 39 people were arrested, and Dhubri district saw 191 arrests.
Among the locations in Dhubri, Golakganj had the highest number of arrests with 42 individuals detained, followed by 7 in Agomoni, 12 in Tamarhat, 42 in Gouripur, 36 in Bilasipara, 11 in Sapatgram, and 6 in Chapar.
