Minor girl married off to 40-year-old man, rescued

The Odisha police and the child welfare committee, Khurda, today jointly rescued a minor girl who was married off to a 40-year-old man on the outskirts of the state capital.
The man, identified as Shankar, was detained by the police.
The minor girl (16) was married off to Shankar, a widower at Naput village in the Tamando police station area last week. Shankar married the girl as his first wife died last year and they had two children at home.
While the girl has told the police that she was married to a man more than double her age, Shankar said he was not aware of the law preventing child marriage. He has also refuted allegation of having paid money to the girl's family for the marriage.

Shankar said his in-laws had agreed to marry their daughter off and it was an arranged marriage.
The girl has been handed over to CWC for counselling.