Patna: A teenage girl in Bihar foiled her family’s plan to marry her off after she shot off an emotional letter to the head of the district, urging him to intervene urgently.
Acting on her appeal, the official rushed to her village on Thursday and asked her parents to defer the marriage to honour her wish.
The parents had fixed the marriage of Resham Kumari, 15, a Grade 11 student from southern Bihar’s Gaya district, to Pawan Kumar.
But the girl was not willing to enter into a nuptial contract at this tender age and wanted to further her studies.
Troubles for the girl mounted when her parents stopped her from attending the classes after the marriage was fixed and got busy in making preparations for marriage which was to be solemnised soon.
According to the girl, she requested her parents to defer the wedding until she completed her study but got severe dressing-downs in turn.
She was also reportedly denied food and beaten up for revolting against parents’ decision.
Left with no option, she penned her tales of trauma on a piece of paper and sent it to the local Gaya district magistrate, Abhishek Kumar Singh, through an ordinary post and seeking his immediate intervention.
“I want to pursue my studies further but my parents are hell-bent on solemnising my marriage. They also beat me up when I opposed this marriage,” she wrote in the letter.
She also recounted how her parents had paid dowry to the boy’s parents for this marriage.
The official got the letter on Wednesday and the very next day he reached Balkhora village which falls under Guraru block in the district as per the address mentioned in the letter.
The entire village was surprised when the official was found asking about the house of Munna Chandravanshi, the father of the girl.
Witnesses said on reaching the village, the official first praised the girl for opposing the child marriage and warned her parents of legal action if they went against her wishes.
“This is not a family matter, rather it’s a social issue which has its bearing on the entire society,” the district magistrate told girl’s parents. He also promised to provide all financial helps to let the girl continue her study further. The official asked the parents not to marry her off until she attains adulthood. He also directed local officials to keep a watch on the girl’s family.
Officials and social scientists say the development could be the outcome of the growing awareness in the society about the child marriage. The state government in Bihar has launched an intensive campaign against child marriage and dowry, and in January this year, the government even formed a human chain against these twin issues.
