13 yr old girl lodges FIR against her parents in Bhojpur for forcibly marrying her

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara : A thirteen year old girl escaped from the clutches of her tormentors and reached Women’s Police Station, Ara, on May 24, 2019, and lodged an FIR against her parents and relatives for forcibly marrying her with a 34 year old man. Police brought the girl to Ara Sadar Hospital for medical examination and also produced her before the court to get her statement recorded under Section 164 of CrPC.

The girl was married to a  34 year old, a resident of village Manaini under Piro police station, at a Shiv Temple at village Akhgao under Sandesh police station in Bhojpur district against her wish on April 26, 2019. As the news spread like wildfire, both the parties slipped away from the spot with the girl.

The girl said that she had given a petition to the SHO, Women’s Police Station, in April 2019 apprehending her marriage with a man much older than her and sought police intervention but police remained inactive. Then she submitted a petition to the SDO, Ara, Arun Prakash, who forwarded her application to Sandesh police station and police assured her marriage would not be solemnised without her wishes. Sandesh police also asked her parents not to marry her yet they married her with a 34 year old person at a Shiv temple of the village on April 26, 2019.

The girl said that her parents and relatives forcibly married her with that man and after the marriage, her in-laws and even her husband misbehaved with her. She said after the Circle Officer, Sandesh, on the direction of  SDO Arun Prakash, lodged an FIR with Sandesh police station against her parents, relatives, priest of the temple and in-laws on May 8, 2019, her parents hid her at a village under Chandi police station where she was tortured too. She said that she somehow escaped from their clutches and reached the Women’s police station and alleged that after that her maternal grandfather and grandmother, who were also present at the time of her marriage, have lodged an FIR against her with Chandi police station.