Earlier, the Assam government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had launched a massive crackdown against child marriage with police arresting more than 4000 people across the state.
Instead of removing provisions pertaining to the marriage of minors from the legislation, the Congress govt in 2013 increased the registration charges for such marriages from 4 annas to ₹10.
In the state of West Bengal, around 41.4 percent of girls get married before their legal marriageable age which is 18 whereas 20.1 percent of boys get married before they attain the age of 21. The constantly increasing numbers are worrisome given that child marriages are a human rights violation and a recognized form of sexual and gender-based violence.