Dehradun, September 11: In a child marriage case in Pithoragarh, a 15-year-old girl's father and her 38-year-old 'husband' were detained last year. The girl, a ninth-grade student, was forcefully married to the older guy, which prompted her school teacher to report the incident. The offender started assaulting the girl again, five months after being granted bail under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

After the police received a report from the terrified victim, they re-arrested the suspect on suspicion of rape on Saturday. In her police complaint, the survivor claimed that her "husband" had enticed her to shopping before forcing himself onto her in his room. She said that the accused assaulted her further and threatened not to help get her father released on bond unless she complied. Child Marriage Stopped in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli District, Groom Along With 10 ‘Baraatis’ Arrested.

The victim, who now resides with her mother, is receiving therapy from the Child Helpline, according to Inspector Chanchal Sharma of the Kotwali police station. The accused and the victim's father are labourers, according to SHO.

The girl confided in her teacher, who encouraged her to report the rape. An FIR has been filed under section 376 (rape) of the IPC and the Pocso Act because the girl was married against her will last year, is still a minor (16), and self-reported the crime, according to the SHO.

Previously, four people were detained on Tuesday at the Vadodara district's Padra police station in connection with an alleged child marriage that occurred in October of last year, according to a report made by the district social security officer. The child's parents and her spouse are among those implicated. Crackdown Against Child Marriage in Assam: Expect Big Arrests at Next Drive Against Child Marriage, Says Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

The FIR was registered as a result of a complaint made by Vadodara's social security officer, Mayank Trivedi. In contrast to the Prohibition of kid Marriage Act's minimum age requirement of 18, the marriage allegedly took place on October 20, 2022, when the girl was 17 years and two months old.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 11, 2023 08:44 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).