Himalayan News Service

Patna, May 12:

Police and the administration looked on in Bihar as temples freely conducted child marriages on the occasion of Akha Teej, with priests saying they had absolutely no problems.

Conservative estimates say at least 100 child marriages took place in Bihar yesterday on Akshaya Tritiya or Akha Teej - when similar marriages were conducted in other states like Rajasthan in violation of the law which puts the minimum age of marriage of a girl at 18 and a boy at 21. However, the real number could be much more.

According to a Hindi daily, nearly 50 child marriages were solemnised in a single Shiva temple in Nawada district in the last two weeks. Of these, more than a dozen took place yesterday, the report said.

The situation was similar in Patna. “We performed child marriages. There was no problem from the police,” said a priest.

“It is shocking police did not intervene to stop child marriages in the temple,” said activist Kanchan Bala.

The temple register does not show the ages of the children who got married yesterday. “We only demand Rs 251 for solemnising the marriage,” said a temple staffer. Last year, ex-district magistrate had directed temples to take birth certificates before solemnising marriages.