Indian women protest against child marriage mass arrests in Assam
BBC reported that hundreds of women are protesting in the north-eastern Indian state of Assam after their male relatives were arrested as part of a crackdown on child marriage.
State police have arrested more than 2,400 people since Friday.
This includes husbands and relatives of alleged child brides, as well as priests who officiated the marriages.
Opposition leaders have called the drive a “farce”, alleging it disproportionately targets Muslims.
But Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma says that his government’s “war” is against child marriage and doesn’t target one community.
It is illegal for girls under the age of 18 to marry in India, but the practice still continues in many parts, mainly due to patriarchal traditions and poverty.
According to government data, more than two out of 10 girls are married before the age of 18.
India’s parliament is considering a bill that could increase the minimum age of marriage for women to 21 years.
