‘Pakarua vivah’: Boy forced to marry a minor in Madhubani

PATNA: Yet another case of ‘pakarua vivah’ (forced marriage) came to light in Madhubani district on Saturday when the bridegroom’s father sought the SP’s intervention in rescuing his 19-year-old son Manish Kumar from the clutches of abductors.
Dinesh Mahto (40) of Kerba village under Saharghat police station submitted a petition to Madhubani SP Satya Prakash. Mahto alleged that Bhairavsthan police did not respond when he reported the incident on March 9, three days after his son informed him over phone that he had been abducted for marriage.“My repeated pleas to trace my son went on deaf ears. Then I decided to met the SP for justice,” the hapless father told reporters in Madhubani on Sunday.
According to the complaint, Manish was abducted when he had gone to meet his elder sister at Khaira village under Bhairavsthan police station in Madhubani district on March 4. He was forced to marry a 16-year-old girl, stated to be the daughter of Ganga Prasad Mahto, at gunpoint on March 6. “Manish later informed me that he had been confined in a room and was not being allowed to move out,” Mahto told the SP.
In the meantime, photographs of the ‘pakarua vivah’ went viral on social media. “I have provided the photographs of forced marriage of my son, who is an undergraduate student. The SP has assured me prompt action in the case. Since the groom is a minor, the marriage stands illegal and action should be taken against the girl’s parents under Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006,” Mahto said.
In the complaint, Mahto has accused Ganga, his wife Rajo Devi and other family members, including Vinod Narayan Mahto, Kishore Mahto and Vinod Mahto of abducting his son for marriage and wrongful confinement. The police have neither been been able to trace Manish nor arrest the accused, Mahto alleged.
When contacted, Madhubani SP said, “I have already asked the SHO of the police station concerned to take appropriate action in the case as the groom is stated to be a minor. I have also asked the investigating officer to ascertain the age of the ‘couple’ before initiating any action.”
Bhairavsthan SHO Santosh Kumar Singh said initially the police got information that it was a case of love affair and not abduction, as claimed by the boy’s father. “Now we have come to know that the girl is a minor. Raids are on to trace the boy. Our priority is to recover him safely,” he said over phone.
The state has got the dubious distinction of lodging a record number of 4,488 cases of kidnapping for marriage in 2019. Majority of the cases were reported from Khagaria, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Nawada, Nalanda, Samastipur and Darbhanga districts. Last year, a similar case was reported in Patna district.