A 14-year-old girl from a village near Hosur in Tamil Nadu was taken away by force by her husband and his brother. She did not want to go to her husband’s house, but they still carried her away. A video of the incident shows her crying for help while two adults walked behind them but did nothing to stop it. The video became very popular on social media, and after seeing it, the police arrested all four adults involved.

Forced marriage and abduction

The 14-year-old girl is from Thimmathur, a small village in the Thottamanju mountain area. She studied up to Class 7 but was not going to school anymore. On March 3, her family forced her to marry Madesh, a 29-year-old laborer from Kalikuttai, Karnataka.

The wedding happened in Bengaluru, even though she did not agree to it. When she returned home to Thimmathur, she again said she did not want to be married and refused to go to her husband's house. She also told her parents and relatives that she was unhappy, but they ignored her.

Later, Madesh and his older brother, 38-year-old Mallesh, forcefully took the girl from a relative’s house. People nearby recorded the incident on their phones. The video looked like a kidnapping and was shared widely on social media. After seeing this, the police took action.

The All-Women Police Station in Denkanikottai started investigating after the girl’s grandmother filed a complaint. On Wednesday, the police arrested Madesh, his brother Mallesh, and the girl’s mother, Nagamma. Later, two more arrests were made—her father and Mallesh’s wife.

Cases have been filed against all of them under different sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Child Marriage Act. If found guilty, they could face up to two years in jail and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

The girl is now living with her grandparents. According to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, marrying a girl under the age of 18 is illegal, and such marriages are considered invalid. The law also punishes those who allow or conduct child marriages.

Child marriage still a major issue

Even though there are strict laws, child marriage still happens often in India. It is especially common in states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.

In Karnataka, officials found out about 180 child marriages in 2023-24. Out of these, they were able to stop 105 marriages before they happened. However, in 75 cases, the police had to take action because the marriages had already taken place.

The viral video of this recent case has again shown why it is important to stop child marriages and protect young girls from such situations.

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