PHAGWARA: Though it was legally prohibited, but one case of alleged child marriage has come to light in Phagwara village Jamalpur on Thursday last after the step-mother of a boy, Kuldeep Singh, who she claims is still a juvenile, was married to a 23-year-old girl.

The boy’s family says he is 18, though the step-mother, Jeeto, claims he is 15-year-old.
The marriage was solemnized in bazigar community in which the girl was being married with a younger boy as per their traditions,whereas child marriage prohibition act 2006 did not allow any boy below 21 to marry.

Though Step Mother of the minor boy Jeeto informed Sadar police, but the marriage had been solemnized before reaching the police party. Moreover the boy's father Balbir singh of Uchapind had given an affidavit, saying that the boy was 18-year-old, but even then it could be described as child marriage.

Meanwhile the family of bride girl produced a ration card on which her age was mentioned as 23 years. "The panchayat members of Jamalpur gave in writing that it was a custom in their community to get their children married at an early age and the gauna (the girl shifting to the boy's home) takes place later," he said. When told that even if the boy is 18-year-old, the marriage is a punishable offence, he claimed that some relaxation was given to certain tribes, where the consummation of marriage takes place later.