The crackdown on child marriage in Assam continues with the arrest of 17 individuals who were masquerading as qazis in the Hailakandi region on September 13. The police carried out the operation as part of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s pledge to end child marriage in the state by 2026.
The detention of these fake qazis throughout the Hailakandi district has given the campaign against child marriage greater momentum. Fifteen of them are identified as Azir Uddin Laskar, Mufti Abul Hussain, Asadullah Laskar, Kausar Ahmed, Abdul Jalil Laskar, Sorif Uddin Barbuya, Nurul Hoque Laskar, Abdus Asalam Mazumdar, Ubeidulla Choudhary, Abu Bakhar Barbhuiya, Aftab Uddin Laskar, Moin Uddin Chowdhury, Mujakir Hussain Mazumdar, Sahidul Haque Bilaipur, and Foiz Uddin Laskar.
Following reports of fake Kazis operating in the district, last night an operation was launched led by the ASP, Crime, following which the following 15 Kazis have been arrested from various parts of the district –
— Hailakandi Police (@HailakandiPolic) September 14, 2023
Lala PS
1. Azir Uddin Laskar
2. Mufti Abul Hussain pic.twitter.com/bEzjNLaEUx
Hailakandi Police informed, “A case has been registered. Various documents have also been seized during the operation. Further legal action is on.” Ten Kaboolnamas (Muslim marriage contracts) have also been seized by the authorities from their possession. The ‘qazis’ are presently being interrogated by the police.
An official stated, “It has been found that the detained men have no registration to solemnise Muslim marriages. Moreover, it’s suspected that they were involved in many cases of child marriages in the district.”
Notably, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier imposed severe sanctions against child marriage in the state.
CM Sarma has been leading the state’s initiatives to prevent child marriage. He announced earlier this month that he would start undertaking tough crackdowns on child marriage every six months. He has reaffirmed his intention to conduct “big arrests” during the forthcoming drives which are scheduled to start later this month.
He had revealed that the draft is under preparation and by December, Assam is going to witness the end of polygamy and child marriages.
The CM stressed the value of ongoing efforts to end child marriage while discussing the ongoing campaign with the media. “Our campaign against child marriage will take place every six months. The next drive will be launched this month. The police are doing their job, and you will hear about some big arrests once the drive is launched”, the CM said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leader also remarked that the state is currently only against polygamy and child marriage and is not adhering to the Uniform Civil Code. He promised that a measure to outlaw the practice would be ready within the next 45 days and the state legislature is expected to hear it in December.
