Child marriage rampant in Mandya

June 11, 2012

child_marriage


Mandya, Jun 11: Prevalence of child marriage in the district despite the formulation of numerous stringent laws and social schemes for women empowerment has become a cause of concern.

According to the Women and Child Development Department, 62 cases of child marriages were reported between April 2011 and April 2012.

The Department officials in association with Birds, a non-governmental organisation, rescued child brides in 60 cases.

Mandya tops the taluks where 25 child marriages were reported, followed by Srirangapatna with 12 cases; eight in Malavalli, five in Nagamangala, four each in Pandavapur and Maddur, and two cases in Krishnarajpet.

In KR Pet and Panadavpur taluks, two cases were booked against the parents for continuing with the wedding plans even after they were warned of the legal consequences by the officials.

Such offenders would be ripped of all the benefits given by the government, and if arrested, they would be sentenced to two-year rigourous imprisonment and fine up to Rs one lakh.

Four cases were reported between April 2010 and April 2011. However, there could be more instances of child marriages held surreptitiously. For, the Child and Women Development Department has not registered any cases of child marriages since 2006, but for the above mentioned 60 cases in the past two years.

According to Venkatesh, a member of the Birds, on an average, 15 child marriages are held every month in the district.

As many as 20 child marriages were prevented in May this year alone, he said. Ironically, the number of early marriages has increased since the year-long campaign against the child marriage was launched in November 2011.

The number of child marriages have increased in Mandya, Nagamangala, Malavalli and Srirangapatnam, he added. Most of the marriages involve minor girls from economically and socially backward families in rural areas.

Apart from the poverty, the parents’ fear of girl’s sexuality and the anxiety that the daughters may fall in love if they go to colleges, drive them to marry off the children at young age, Venkatesh said.

In several instances, the officials and the volunteers received threats from the influential persons and supporters of the local leaders when they went to rescue the child brides.

The awareness programmes taken up to sensitise the public on illegal practice of child marriage and its adverse impact on children, family and society, have not yielded desired effect.

The law on prohibition of child marriages and women empowerment programmes by the government have also failed to dissuade people from the evil practice, Venkatesh said.



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Agencies
January 6,2020

New Delhi, Jan 6: A blind student who is pursuing research in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was also attacked by the mob that perpetrated violence in the University yesterday.

"I thought that the mob which came yesterday would disperse after raising a few slogans but they indulged in violence. They were targeting ABVP students. They beat me with sticks and rods. When I went to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, I came to know that there are many other injured students there," Surya Prakash, the blind student pursuing research in the University told ANI.

"I talked to my family members. They are really worried about the situation here. I qualified in the National Eligibility Test (NET) last year but I want to study and hence I am continuing research in JNU. How can we do anything in this atmosphere of fear? I am receiving calls from anonymous numbers threatening me not to come in front of the media. They are saying that as I am blind, I would become the face of this case," he added.

Another PhD student, Santosh Bhagat recounted his experience.

"In the evening at around 7 pm, many masked men entered the hostel. They had rods and sticks in their hands. We tried to go out but the attackers had entered the premises by then. I locked my room from inside but the attackers broke the door and entered my room and attacked me. They pushed me from the first floor and I fell down and sustained an injury. Later, I took shelter at one of the Professor's flat. Later, I was taken to the AIIMS Trauma Cantre," Bhagat said.

On Sunday evening, more than 30 students of the university, including JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh, were injured and were taken to the AIIMS Trauma Centre after a masked mob entered the JNU and attacked them and professors with sticks and rods.

The JNU administration and political leaders, cutting across political lines, condemned the attack on students and urged the police to take action against the perpetrators.

Meanwhile, the situation remained tense but peaceful outside JNU on Monday morning as the university guards maintained a strict vigil at the gate, checking I-cards of all those entering the university.

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News Network
February 6,2020

Kochi, Feb 6: A 46-year-old Thailand national was allegedly raped by two men here, following which they were arrested, police said on Thursday.

The accused hailing from a north Kerala district have been arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by the woman.

Police said the accused-- Mohammed Insaf and his friend Ansaruddin from Kondotty in Malappuram district were arrested after recording the statement of the victim.

The woman from Thailand had been a Facebook friend of Insaf for the last seven months after she enrolled her child in a school in Malappuram district.

The woman who came from Bangkok recently to visit her child and was staying in a hotel here.

When Insaf came to meet the woman, he was accompanied by his friend Ansaruddin and both allegedly raped the woman at the hotel room, police said.

All formalities including medical examination of the woman were completed, police said.

The accused will be produced before the court on Thursday, they added.

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News Network
June 30,2020

Visakhapatnam, Jun 30: Two people were killed and four others were taken ill after benzene gas leaked at a pharmaceutical company at Parawada near here early on Tuesday morning, official sources said.

The situation was now under control as the leak was restricted to one unit in the Sainor Life Sciences company, the sources said.

The two killed were senior employees of the company, they said.

The injured persons have been admitted to a hospital in Gajuwaka, with one of them being put on ventilator support, the sources added.

District Collector V Vinay Chand and Police Commissioner R K Meena visited the company to take stock of the situation.

The cause of the leak that took place in a reactor unit at the plant is yet to be established.

The incident comes nearly two months after 11 people were killed and over 1000 taken ill after gas leak at a chemical plant here.

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