<i>5 child marriages stopped in a week in Jhenidah </i>
Vigilance by Kaliganj upazila admin
Kaliganj upazila administration stopped five child marriages in a week.
The latest incident took place yesterday when marriage of a 13 year-old girl was stopped at Arpara village.
Rupa, a student of class eight at Salimunnesa Girls School, was going to be married at around 11 am. She is the daughter of Prasanto Kumar Shil. The bridegroom was Shamol Kumar Biswas, son of Mukundo Kumar Biswas of Azmari Pur village in Bagher Para upazila in Jessore district.
On information, Kaligonj Upazila Nirbhai Officer (UNO) Shashanko Shekhor Bhaumik sent a police team led by upazila election officer Rokonuzzaman Khan, women affair officer Anis Afroz and education officer Abdul Bari.
They reached Prasanto's house a short while before the scheduled time and stopped the marriage. The officials also took an undertaking from Rupa's parents that they would allow their daughter to continue studies and not arrange her marriage before she attains marriageable age.
Earlier, on August 13, marriage of 12 year-old Razia Sultana, a student of class seven at Mobarakgonj Suger Mill Secondary High School, with Masud Rana was stopped by the upazila administration, the officials said.
This time also, Anis Afroza intervened on orders from the UNO.
Razia is daughter of Salim Prodhan of Mouchak Colony. Masud Rana is son of Atiar Rahman of the same area.
On the same day, marriage of Aduri Khatun, 12, a student of class six at Bethuli Secondary High School, with Moni Mian was stopped in the same way.
Aduri is daughter of Mongol Biswas of Kharika Danga village. Moni Mia is son of Rawsan Ali of Vikshar village in the same upazila.
Earlier in the week, marriages of Reshma Khatun, 13 and Latifa Khatun, 13 were stopped at Dadpur and Ful Bari villages in the upazila, the officials said. Both the girls were students, hey said.
Contacted, UNO Shashanko Shekhor Bhaumik said conscious people in the society should come forward to stop marriage of underage girls.
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