Minors married off in Rajouri; Police arrest fathers

A minor boy and girl were illegally married off in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, prompting the police today to arrest their fathers and book several others allegedly involved in the act.

The police have registered a case of infant marriage against the family members of the nine-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl, SSP Rajouri Yougal Manhas said.

The boy's father, Manzoor, and the girl's father, Khadam, had been arrested, he told PTI.

A case under section 4 of the Infant Marriages Prevention Act 1985 had been registered by the Rajouri Police.

The police started probing the marriage, conducted yesterday, soon after they heard about it, he said.

Once the crime was established, several people were booked, he said.

Among them were the boy's parents, residents of Kalal Kass, and the girl's father and mother, residents of Dalhori. Some other Dalhori residents, believed to have been involved in the act, had also been booked, he added.