Mumbai: Forced to marry early, ‘depressed’ teenager runs away from home in Kandivli

The girl, who had left home on the pretext of attending classes, was at her friend’s residence

A 17-year-old girl ran away from home after her marriage was fixed by her parents forcefully. The police traced the teenage girl within seven hours of the incident, and have warned the parents against violating the law. The legal age for marriage for women in India is presently 18. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, that was introduced in the Lok Sabha this week, has proposed increasing the age to 21.

The teenager, whose identity has not been revealed, is a resident of Kandivli East. She went missing on Friday, after which a complaint was registered at the Samta Nagar police station. According to the police, the girl had been suffering from depression ever since she learnt about the decision. On Friday, around 3 pm, she left home on the pretext of going for her classes. When she didn't return until 5 pm, her parents enquired with the classes, only to learn that she had left early. Her parents then filed a complaint with the police.

Senior inspector Anandrao Haake said that when they couldn't locate the girl, they sent her information to the Nirbhaya Pathak officer Ashwini Hire and her team (Priya More, Sana Mulani and Sapkale). The team immediately began a search operation. "With the help of CCTV footage, and their sources, they learnt that the girl was hiding in her friend's home. We managed to find her by 2.30 am." Another police officer said, "During interrogation, the girl revealed that her parents had fixed her marriage forcefully. We have warned the parents, as she is still under-age."