Four booked in Tamil Nadu for forcing minor girl into marriage

MADURAI: The M Chatrapatti police booked four people including the parents of a minor girl for forcibly conducting her marriage. Although the marriage took place in March, it came to the knowledge of officials only on Wednesday.
A police officer said the girl has completed Class XII and was staying at home. Her parents, Kasi Saravanamalai, 48 and his wife K Tamilselvi, 38, arranged her marriage with a relative M Pandidurai, 27, from a village near Usilampatti in March. Although the girl had opposed the marriage, they went ahead with it. The marriage took place in Karanthamalaiyan Temple in Usilampatti on March 30.
Recently, Murugeswari, an official from the social welfare department, received an alert about the marriage. She immediately reported to the M Chatrapatti police. A team reached the house and conducted an inquiry. The parents first claimed that the girl had completed 18 years of age.
However, when police asked the parents to produce her birth certificate, they failed to do so. They admitted to the crime during a detailed inquiry conducted by the police. Pandidurai and his mother M Vasantha, 45, were also booked.