’There was a knock on the door around 2 am...’: Assam child bride recounts crackdown; many women stage protests

Earlier this week, the Assam Police cracked down on child marriage, arresting thousands of people. Now, even as many women stage protests calling for their husbands and sons to be released, others recall the crackdown with horror. 

"There was a knock on the door around 2 am on Thursday. We opened the door and found policemen outside. They took away my husband," Nimee told news agency PTI. 

The 17-year-old had eloped and tied the knot with Gopal Biswas (who is in his twenties) more than a year ago. The duo have a one-and-half-month-old son, with the husband providing for them by selling pakoras and other savouries.

"We barely earn enough to feed our own families. Who will look after Nimee and her son? She has been inconsolable, barely eating anything. The child is also getting sick now," said Gopal's elder brother, Yudishter, who lives in the same house along with their aged parents.

"My daughter-in-law is not underage but there was some error in her Aadhaar card due to which my son is now behind bars. She has gone to our native place, some distance away, to get her birth records," Rezina claimed, trying to convince whoever cared to listen.

A neighbour of the family claimed that many like Rajibul's wife were actually not minors at the time of the marriage but their dates of birth were wrongly entered while enrolling for Aadhaar cards.

Protests broke out in Assam this week as more than 2,258 people were arrested amid a crackdown against child marriage. A large number of women had gathered in front of the Tamarhat police station in Dhubri district demanding the release of their respective husbands and sons from police custody. Security personnel were forced to resort to lathi-charging the agitators as they tried to break the police station gate and security barrier.

The police had registered 4,074 cases of child marriage in less than a fortnight after the state Cabinet decided on January 23 to arrest offenders. 

(With inputs from agencies)