NGO tip-off leads to prevention of child marriage in Jind

A child marriage was successfully prevented in Kharak Gadia village, Jind district, last night after authorities discovered both the bride and groom were underage. The 13-year-old bride and 19-year-old groom, both school dropouts, were set to be married at the bride’s uncle’s house. The groom’s father, Rajesh Kumar from Niyat village, Sonepat district, had arrived with a 60-member wedding procession, while the bride’s father, Vakil from Mohammad Khera village, Jind, had travelled from Mumbai for the ceremony.

The NGO, Mission to the Desperate and Destitute of India (MDD of India), received a tip-off and alerted Child Marriage Prohibition Officer (CMPO) Sunita. A joint team of CMPO, police, and NGO officials intervened, verifying the ages through birth certificates, which confirmed both the bride and groom were minors under the Child Marriage Act, 2006.

After warning the families of legal consequences, the officials successfully halted the ceremony, and the groom’s procession returned without completing the marriage. Both families were summoned to the local women’s police station, where they provided written statements claiming ignorance of the law. They were later presented before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).