"Govt committed to crackdown on child marriages": Assam Dy Speaker

Guwahati (Assam) [India] September 19 (ANI): Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly Dr Numal Momin on Tuesday said that the state government is "committed to crackdown" on the alleged child marriage cases.
Numal Momin, Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly asserted that they have to stop child marriage "at any cost".
"When a minor girl gets conceived after marriage, it results in complications as far as her health is concerned. Our government is committed to cracking down on child marriage and we will stop it at any cost," Dy Speaker Momin told ANI.
Earlier, Assam police arrested around 5,000 people during the first phase and arrested 15 clerics for their alleged role in child marriages.
He "appreciated" Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for taking a "strong and bold step", who had announced earlier to launch a crackdown against child marriages every six months. He has expressed hope that the "scourge" of child marriage would be rooted out of Assam by 2026.
"I think 21 should be the minimum cut-off age for a girl to get married," he said.
On the role of clerics, he said, "They tend to look at the issue only from a religious point of view. Fake clerics are very much involved in such acts," he alleged, adding the government will bring up a strong law to counter the child marriages in the state.
Recently, the Hailakandi district police arrested 15 "fake clerics" for allegedly being involved in connection with child marriages.
The state government under the chairmanship of Devajit Lon Saika, Advocate General of Assam, constituted a five-member committee to ascertain, among other things, the role of clerics in the alleged case of child marriages.
The committe was tasked with the job of drafting appropriate legislation including banning polygamy, tackling inter-faith marriages by false identity and the role of clerics in the alleged cases of child marriages.
The committee will submit its draft legislation to the government within 45 days from the date of notification, issued by the Political Department (A) of the state government on September 13.
The other members of the committee are the Director General of Police of Assam GP Singh; Nalin Kohli, senior additional advocate general, Assam; Ramen Baruah, Legal Remembrancer & Secretary, Judicial Department, Assam and Biswajit Pegu, Secretary of Home & Political Department, Assam, who is the member secretary of the committee. (ANI)