13-year-old kidnapped, then forcefully married

Assam. An Assam court has sentenced a 30-year-old youth to 25 years in prison for abducting a 13-year-old girl and forcibly marrying her. This decision was given by a special court in Hailakandi district of Assam. The accused Bijoy Bin is a resident of Dholasit village in Hailakandi district. According to the police, a case was registered against him on January 18 last year. According to the victim’s family, on January 16, 2022, her daughter had gone to a nearby village to attend a religious function, but did not return home. According to family members, two days later the girl was found at Bijoy Bin’s house and the man claimed that he had married the minor. After the complaint of the relatives, the police took Bijoy Bin into custody. The minor was also rescued from his house by the police. Bin was charged under section 366 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for abducting a minor and forcing her to marry. Apart from this, a case was registered against the accused under the POCSO Act. According to public prosecutor Monika Deb, Bin was granted bail after being kept in custody for five months and 13 days. The court decided to fast-track the hearing of the case following an appeal by the family. Advocate Deb said, the special court completed all the hearings and delivered its verdict in one year and four months. According to the lawyer, Bijoy was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by Special Judge Sanjay Hazarika under the POCSO Act. Further, the accused was convicted under section 366 of IPC and sentenced to 5 years in jail. In both cases, the accused will have to pay Rs 10,000, and if the fine is not paid, they will have to spend an additional year in jail. Deb said five witnesses, including the investigating officer, deposed during the trial and a special team examined the girl. He further said that the medical examination of the victim revealed to the special team that the allegations were genuine. She confesses that Bin kidnapped her and forced her to marry him. The Assam government has taken a tough stand against child marriage in recent times with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announcing a zero-tolerance policy towards child marriage offenders. In February this year, over 3,000 people were arrested in Assam on charges of child marriage.