In September, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on August 31 that the State will relaunch its effort to combat child marriages. This follows a drive in February where 4,235 complaints were recorded and over 3,000 people, including 93 women, were arrested for involvement in child marriages.
On July 28th, Mr. Sarma instructed officials to start another drive and draw up operating procedures to address those accused of child marriage by August 31. He also urged the vulnerable population to ensure underage girls are not married and have every chance to pursue their ambitions.
On Independence Day, Mr. Sarma proclaimed the government’s intentions to create a law abolishing polygamy, and an expert committee headed by retired judge Rumi Phukan was commissioned to analyze the legal aspects of this. While some tribal communities practice polygamy, the February drive was seen as primarily targeting Bengali-origin Muslims.
