14-year-old girl on visit to relative’s place rescued from child marriage

Koderma: A 14-year-old girl, who was being forced to marry to 26-year-old man, was rescued from her brother-in-law’s house at Bhojpur village in Koderma on Saturday, police said after producing her before the child welfare committee on Monday.
A student of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) at Pirtand in Giridih district, the girl was living with her mother and three younger brothers at Pirtand’s since her father died four years ago. Recently, the girl came to Bhojpur, where her elder sister lived with her husband and in-laws, to help her pregnant. However, the girl’s brother-in-law Sanjay Singh and one of his relatives Jagi Singh fixed her marriage on Sunday.
The girl tried to escape from the house, but was caught. She was threatened and tortured by her brother-in-law and his relatives. She then got in touch with a neighbor, who informed the Koderma Childline about her ordeal.
Childline (Koderma) director Indramani Sahu said, “With the help of Markachho police, we sent a team to rescue the girl. The girl was produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) on Monday and is in CWC custody.”
CWC chairperson Rupa Samanta said, “The girl’s mother has been informed and we will soon shift the girl to a shelter home in Hazaribag or Giridih if needed.”