Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday announced a statewide drive against child marriage, directing authorities to conduct house-to-house checks to identify underage marriages and pregnancies.
Adhikari warned that those involved in arranging or facilitating child marriages would face strict legal action, including arrest and imprisonment. Families found participating in such marriages could also lose access to government welfare benefits.
He said cases under the POCSO Act would be initiated against husbands of women who gave birth before reaching 18 years of age, with authorities empowered to register cases on their own initiative.
The Chief Minister also warned priests, qazis and other persons who solemnise underage marriages that they would face action under the law.
Parents and guardians found to have facilitated child marriages would likewise be held accountable, he said, stressing the need for stronger enforcement to prevent the practice across the state.
