The state committees of three Left Parties in Assam – CPI (M), CPI and CPI (ML)-Liberation – have jointly issued the following statement on February 5 on the Assam government's latest drive against child marriage
CHILD marriage has, undoubtedly, been a social evil and proper, pragmatic steps are required to eradicate such deep-seated maladies. The Left Parties and organisations have always been making unwavering efforts to create awareness amongst the people on this issue. But the way in which the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led BJP government in Assam has launched the most inhumane crackdown on child marriage has become a cause of serious concern. The ongoing drive against child marriage is out-and-out authoritarian in nature. The three Left Parties condemn the rash and sudden police actions being mounted against child marriage at the dictates of the Assam government. The parties also demand immediate halt to such insensitive actions.
In fact, abject poverty and socio-economic and educational backwardness, various forms of superstitious beliefs prevailing in societies, gender discriminations, patriarchal systems, lack of health awareness, ignorance on the legal age bar regarding marriage, etc are primarily responsible for prevalence of child marriage amongst the backward communities, ethnic groups and also the people of backward areas.
Apart from speedy expansion of public education and health care, awareness campaigns against child marriage, superstitions and blind beliefs are required for eradication of child marriage. But while the government has miserably failed in the spheres of public education, health, etc., it has displayed extreme cruelty in the name of enforcing law against child marriage. Instead of solving the problem, the government's actions will only aggravate and create newer social problems.
In the last three days, more than four thousand cases were registered in different police stations across the state. Charges under various sections of 'Prohibition of Child Marriage Act' and even under the stringent ‘The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act' (POCSO Act, 2012) were framed against more than eight thousand people. It may be noted, the Himanta Biswa Sarma government has been intermixing the cases of sexual crimes against children with that of under-aged marriages. Already more than two thousand 'illegal husbands' were arrested and lodged in jails. Women have spontaneously been organising protest demonstrations in different parts of Assam against such crackdowns. Incidences of suicides and attempts to suicide were also reported from few places. On the other hand, police had lathi-charged the protestors in places like Dhubri’s Tamarhat police station and used teargas to disperse them. Mounting tensions and ruckus between police and agitating crowd were also witnessed at Laharighat, Mayong, Morigaon, etc.
The three Left Parties in Assam condemn the brutal police actions and atrocities against women at the instance of Himanta Biswa Sarma government. As stated by the DGP, Assam the police arrested the criminals involved in child marriages since 2020. Obviously, certain questions arise: why the Act on Prohibition of Child Marriage was not implemented for long? Who are responsible for that? The BJP has been in power for nearly seven years in Assam. Did the government ever conduct awareness campaigns against social evils like child marriage, superstitious beliefs, etc.? The Sarma government has no answers to these pertinent questions. The only characteristics of the BJP-led government are to create social disturbances, instabilities and divisions coupled with authoritarian rule.
The Left Parties demand immediate halt to the police actions under the guise of drive against child marriage. The Parties also demand well considered and pragmatic steps with a view to eradicating the social evils like child marriages. The government should also elicit views and opinions from women’s organisations, voluntary organisations and political parties to draw out concrete plans for uprooting the evil.
