Guwahati: A 30-year-old man was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for allegedly abducting and forcibly marrying a 13-year-old girl in Assam’s Hailakandi district.
On Saturday, a special court in Haikakandi district awarded 25 years of imprisonment to Bijoy Bin. Bin is a resident of Dholaisit village under Ramnathpur police station in Hailakandi.
According to girl’s family members, on January 16, last year the girl went to a religious event in a nearby village and she didn’t return home. Two days later she was found in Bijoy Bin’s house.
“When we enquired why she was in his house, she told us that she married her,” the family members said.
According to police, Bijay was arrested on January 20 after cases under section 9 of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and section 4 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) was registered against him.
The public prosecutor said that special judge Sanjay Hazarika sentenced Bijoy with 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under the POCSO Act. Under 366 IPC, he received five years of rigorous imprisonment, a total 25 years. He has to pay Rs 10,000 each in both the cases and if he fails, he’ll get additional one year of jail.
Recently, Assam police have arrested many persons involved in child marriage case. The Himanta Biswa Sarma led-BJP government in Assam has taken a zero-tolerance policy against child marriages.