Ashish Mehta,TNN | Apr 30, 2014, 01.43 AM IST

JAIPUR: Breaking her silence against the age-old tradition, a 19-year-old girl, whose marriage was solemnized 10 years ago, has sought police intervention at Baapcha village in Baran district so that she could pursue her studies instead of going to her in-laws' house.

Sulochana has been good studies as she had scored 53% marks in class X and 80% marks in the senior secondary school and always wanted to pursue higher studies.

"I am in second year degree course for Bachelor of Arts at the Government College, Baran. My parents wanted me to go to my in-laws on May 4 when they are planning to solemnize my Gohana (the ritual when a bride is sent to her in-laws' home after she becomes adult). But I don't want to go as I want to pursue further studies," said Sulochana while talking to TOI over the phone from Baapcha police station on Tuesday.

She approached the police on Monday with a request to ensure that nobody should forcibly ask her to go to her in-laws' house. "I don't subscribe to the marriage that took place when I was 9 years old," she said.

Sulochana added that after she approached the police everything seems normal for the time being but apprehended that she might forcibly be taken to her in-laws house.

Following her complaint at the police station, Baapcha SHO Badri Lal has invited her parents and maternal uncle and asked them not to organise the ritual to make the child marriage official.

"I have asked them not to go against the will of the girl else we will take legal action against them. As per the compliant of the girl, we have also issued notices to her in-law not to organise the Gohana as marriages was performed during childhoods are not legal," Badri said.

Police further said if both the families go ahead with the Gohana of the girl on May 4 and dare to go against the will of the girl, they will have to face the legal consequences. "We have given custody of the girl to the maternal uncle and will also provide ample help to the girl to ensure that she is not be sent to the in-laws house in the name marriage that took place in her childhood," a senior police officer added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Jaipur/Girl-seeks-cop-help-to-annul-child-marriage/articleshow/34392688.cms