[Dhaka Tribune] Six schoolgirls including a fifth-grader have been saved from child marriage in Sirajganj on the same day.Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Anisur Rahman led the drives to rescue the teenaged girls from being married off.
Mobile court sources said that acting on tip offs, these child marriages were prevented conducting drive from afternoon to midnight Friday.
Marriage of 7th grader Chumki Khatun, 13, of Ranigram locality of Sirajganj municipal area, 10th grader Meem Khatun, 16, of village Brammon Boira of the same locality, 8th grader Nusrat Khatun, 13, of village Gobinda Potol, 10th grader Lubna Islam, 15, of village Akdala, 8th grader Liza Khatun, 13, of village Parpachil and 5th grader Rima Khatun, 13, of village Shilonda were stopped.
The legal age for marriage of women in Bangladesh is 18, while for men it is 21.
The mobile court fined the guardians Tk 140,000. Besides, a bond was taken from each set of parents of the brides and grooms against a pledge that they would not marry off their wards till they are of legal age.
At this time, Municipal Assistant Land Officer Nazrul Islam, Nure Elahi and Ansar battalion members were present.
Meanwhile, at village Poschim Nokla under Nokla upazila in Sherpur, a father has been sentenced to 7 days in jail on charge of arranging the marriage of his underage daughter Ripa Akhter, a student of class seven of madrasa.
A mobile court headed by UNO and Executive Magistrate of Nokla Zahidur Rahim awarded the punishment at 8pm yesterday after disrupting the marriage. Rafiqul Islam, 40, father of Ripa Akhter, has been sent to district jail last afternoon.
Confirming the incident Alamgir Hossain Shah, OC of Nokla police station, said that the mobile court awarded the punishment to Rafiqul Islam on charge of arranging marriage of his underage daughter.