Married Telangana Man, 40, Marries Class 8 Student

A real-life 'Balika Vadhu' has been reported from Telangana where a 13-year-old girl in Ranga Reddy district has been rescued from child marriage after her teacher alerted the district child protection services and the police.

The girl, a Class 8 student, was reportedly married off on May 28 to a 40-year-old man, Srinivas Goud, from Kandiwada.

The incident came to light when the girl told her teacher, who then contacted tahsildar Rajeshwar and inspector Prasad.

"The girl lives with her mother and brother. The mother told the house owner where they lived on rent that she wanted to marry off her daughter. A mediator brought the alliance of the 40-year-old man and the 'marriage' happened in May," the police inspector said.

"The man, wife, girl's mother, mediator and a priest who conducted the illegal wedding were charged under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act," Prasad said.

The girl has been moved to a Sakhi Centre for safety and support. District Child Protection Officer Prawin Kumar told NDTV they are counselling her.

"They were cohabitating for about two months. If the girl was forced into a sexual relationship, a case under POCSO will be filed against the man, Srinivas Goud," Mr Kumar told NDTV.

Sexual relations with a minor is punishable under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The incident highlights the persistent issue of child marriage in the state, though the state government has put in place several measures to stop the practice.

The child protection officer said there have been 44 such cases this year and 60 cases last year. A significant number of these illegal marriages are not driven by poverty concerns but by the fear of elopement, the officer said.

This latest case comes even as the officer got information about another child marriage, between an 18-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man, scheduled for August 14. The marriageable age for men is 21 and women 18.

"We have to maintain utmost confidentiality. Otherwise, they get vigilant and we are unable to catch them redhanded," he said.