Maharashtra Stops 13 Child Marriages on Akshaya Tritiya After Statewide Alert

The department said that special arrangements for online coordination and guidance were put in place under the chairmanship of Meghna Bordikar, Minister of State for Women and Child Development in Maharashtra, to ensure swift action and monitoring.

Given that Akshaya Tritiya is considered one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar and often witnesses a rise in weddings and mass marriage ceremonies, the department had stepped up vigilance in advance, anticipating a possible increase in instances of child marriage.

To address the concern, an online review meeting was convened under Bordikar's leadership, attended by senior officials, including the Secretary of the department, the Commissioner, District Collectors, and Superintendents of Police. During the meeting, all agencies were directed to remain alert and to take strict measures to prevent any such incidents.

Officials said that a comprehensive awareness campaign was carried out at the district, taluka and village levels across Maharashtra. Through District Child Protection Units, Child Helpline 1098, Anganwadi workers, Village Child Protection Committees and various organisations working in the field of child welfare, citizens were informed about the harmful consequences of child marriage.

The campaign included a range of outreach activities such as kirtans, Bhagwat recitations, street plays, awareness rallies, posters and stickers. Authorities also encouraged households to take pledges against child marriage to ensure wider community participation.

As part of deterrent measures, the administration warned that criminal cases could be registered within 24 hours against marriage hall owners, priests, musical troupes and relatives involved in facilitating child marriages.

According to officials, these coordinated efforts resulted in the prevention of 13 child marriages across different districts, including one in Raigad, five in Ahilyanagar, one in Buldhana, two in Yavatmal, one in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, two in Dharashiv and one in Parbhani.

Authorities described the outcome as an example of effective inter-departmental coordination and proactive governance.

"These collective efforts have yielded positive results, and the administration successfully prevented 13 child marriages that were scheduled to take place at various locations across the state on the day of Akshaya Tritiya," officials said, adding that one such case was reported from Yavatmal district.

Speaking on the initiative, Minister Bordikar said, "Thanks to this effective and coordinated action by the Department of Women and Child Development, a strong message has been delivered to society regarding the evil of child marriage."

She added that similar campaigns would be carried out with even greater effectiveness in the future to eliminate the practice.

- IANS