At a time when the government is toying with the idea of increasing the minimum age for marriage for girls to reduce maternal mortality, tribals in Hunsur have sought a rollback.
At the recently concluded ‘Adivasi Sansath’ held in Hunsur, a resolution was passed urging the government to lower the minimum legal age for marriage to 16 years for girls and to 18 years for boys. At present, the minimum legal age to get married in India is 18 for girls and 21 for boys.
The activists have justified their demand on the grounds that tribals have low life expectancy when compared to other communities and hence should be allowed to marry at an early age.
S. Sreekanth of Development Through Education said it was a custom among tribals to marry early with the blessings of parents, but the authorities were intervening and branding their weddings as illegal, foisting cases on grooms and sending them to jail. He said this amounted to harassment. In recent days, 25 cases have been reported in H.D. Kote, Hunsur, and Periyapatna of tribals being victimised, Mr. Sreekanth alleged.
He said it was resolved at the meet to urge the government to seek a reduction in minimum age for marriage to prevent such incidents. “Let the government ensure compulsory education for tribals, based on which they can arrive at a suitable decision on the age for marriage instead of a law being imposed on them,” he argued.
Other demands
The Adivasis also urged the government to desist from implementing the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats, saying it would have a direct bearing on the tribal communities living across the region. The resolution called for allotting 10 acres of land to each Adivasi family around Bandipur and Nagarahole and for the sanction of benefits due to them under the Forest Rights Act.
The resolution, a copy of which has been submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office, also called for the immediate implementation of the Muzaffar Assadi committee report on the rehabilitation of 3,418 tribal families, as directed by the High Court of Karnataka. Tribal organisations warned that failure to do so would amount to contempt of court.
Mr. Sreekanth said there were 34 recommendations made by the committee, all of which should be implemented, including the establishment of a university for tribals and internal reservation exclusively for them.
The activists also said there were 215 tribal hamlets in Mysuru district, of which 200 were outside national parks and forests. These hamlets should be declared as revenue villages to facilitate additional development works, including civic projects, they said.