Row after MLA, ex-minister attend child marriage in Karnataka's Koppal village

KOPPAL: A local MLA and a former state minister reportedly attended the marriage of an underaged girl in a village in Koppal district last week, inviting sharp criticism from the public after marriage photos with special invitees in presence went viral.
The marriage of the girl, who's the daughter of a gram panchayat member, with a groom several years older on April 21 was attended by Kampli MLA Ganesh and former district minister Mallikarjun Nagappa along with several others. Following the outcry, Kanakagiri police registered an FIR on April 25 against three persons. Concerned citizens expressed strong disapproval of the politicians' attendance, calling it a silent endorsement of the banned practice. tnn
Spurt in child marriages in Karnataka villages
N Muninarayanaswamy, district child welfare committee president, stated that any child marriage is a violation of children's rights. "No one should condone it," he said, adding Akshaya Tritiya - which falls on April 30 this year and is considered auspicious to conduct marriages - sees a spurt in child marriages, especially in villages in north Karnataka bordering Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He urged the govt to take preventive measures in this regard.
The Koppal district's child helpline and protection unit has received 160 child-marriage alerts in the first 100 days of this year. Of this, seven marriages were performed, parental intervention and counselling were required in 10 cases, and some cases resulted in legal action against parents, according to district child protection officer Mahanteshswamy Pujar.
An officer cited a recent case in which a middle-aged man who drew a blank in marriage market ended up marrying a minor girl in Gangavathi taluk of the district.