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Ward member-elect faces child marriage charge in Bongaigaon Panchayat

By Correspondent
Ward member-elect faces child marriage charge in Bongaigaon Panchayat
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A file image of voters in queue to cast their votes in Panchayat polls Phase 1 in Assam (Photo: DD News)

Bongaigaon, May 27: Nureja Khatun had contested and won the panchayat poll as a ward member in a gaon panchayat in Bongaigaon district. However, the charge of violation of The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act levelled against her is still pending before the authority concerned.

As per panchayat poll rules, no candidate violating this law can contest the election.

Nureja (23) had contested the recently concluded panchayat poll from Ward no. 8 (Kayethpara Part 2) under the Dhantola Gaon Panchayat. When Nureja filed her nomination to contest the poll, her rival for the same post, Chandana Ray (37), had filed a complaint on April 17 last with the election officer of North Salmara sub-division, under which the said GP falls, against the former for alleged violation of The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.

According to the documents collected by Chandana, the date of birth of Nureja has been recorded as 23/01/2001 in her Aadhaar card. Nureja had appeared in the HSLC examination in 2016 and she got married the same year. She gave birth to a girl on September 12, 2018.

Chandana’s husband, Kamal Mahajan, has pointed out that as per these records Nureja got married when she was around 15 years old, which is not a legal age for a woman to marry.

In this connection, Mahajan filed a second complaint against Nureja with the district commissioner of Bongaigaon on May 16.

“Nureja had concealed her age in the nomination papers she filed to contest the poll. If these are re-verified, the truth will come out,” Mahajan said, adding that he wants, like many other locals, Nureja’s disqualification from the post she won in the poll. He clarified that he does not want initiation of any other legal action against Nureja.

As a further step, Mahajan has decided to approach the Election Commission of India against the alleged violation of the law of the land.

On the other hand, Nureja’s husband Abdul Majid, when contacted, said since no such anomaly was detected during the scrutiny of nomination papers submitted by his wife, there is no question of accepting this allegation.

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