Mother marries off 9-year-old girl, held

A woman, who got her nine-year-old daughter married because of the family’s poor financial condition, has been arrested by Rabale MIDC police, along with the bridegroom and the priest who performed the wedding rituals.

Police said that the accused, Sheela Rajendra Chauhan (45), told them that because she had three daughters and the family was extremely poor, she decided to get her eldest daughter, just nine years old, married. The incident occurred in Yadav Nagar area of Digha where the child bride was forced to marry 25-year-old Sunil Rambelas Chauhan. Priest, Narshingh Ramnarayan Pandey (55) performed the rituals.

Police sources said Sheela, a resident of Thakur Chawl, arranged her daughter’s wedding with Sunil, a local shopkeeper, on Sunday. Priest Pandey was invited from Mumbadevi temple of Atmaram area. A local activist Manoj Mishra came to know about the wedding and informed the Rabale MIDC police. The police rushed to the spot, but found nothing. Later, they came to know that the nine-year-old was already at Sunil’s home. They rushed to Sunil’s house and rescued her. The trio has been held and the mobile used for clicking pictures of the wedding seized.

Sheela told the police that her husband was an alcoholic and had left her a year ago. With no means of livelihood, she started working in different households, but found it difficult to take care of her three daughters. Sheela’s girls have been handed over to a distant relative, said an official.