The Kerala unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) which rushed a complaint to the state police chief saying that Monalisa Bhosle, known as 'Kumbhmela girl', who got married to Mohammed Farman in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, is a minor, seems to have got its facts wrong. Monalisa, who married Farman at Arumanoor temple at Poovar, also had her marriage registered on the same day. 

Onmanorama verified the documents submitted on Kerala's smart-governance platform; K-SMART (Kerala - Solution for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation). Her birth certificate issued by Nagar Panchayat Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, shows that Monalisa was born on January 1, 2008 at Maheshwar, West Nimar, MP. These records were cross-verified on the K-SMART portal and officials who oversaw the process said she got her marriage certificate within 30 minutes. 

"The marriage was registered under the Common marriage act. All the proof related to age, residence, religion were verified and certificate was issued. Under-age marriage cannot be registered under this system. The allegations regarding her age are baseless," an official told Onmanorama.

Advocate Anil Vilayil, General Secretary of VHP, Kerala, submitted the complaint stating that, based on his inquiries and the evidence available, Monalisa Bhosle was born on January 21, 2009. Citing this, he requested the police to conduct a proper investigation and register an FIR under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and the relevant provisions of the POCSO Act.

"A detailed investigation should be carried out, including verification of the girl’s school admission register to confirm her age. Since the girl is a minor below 18 years, I request that legal action under the relevant laws be taken against the persons involved and the temple authorities who knowingly facilitated and provided assistance and arrangements for conducting the marriage," the complaint stated. 

VHP had a strange way of checking facts. The complaint says that Anil got in touch with a Bajrang Dal activist Jijesh Patteri who then contacted Monalisa's mother. "From the conversation, I understand that she is not 18. This information is based on the phone conversation with her mother. Hence it is a child marriage and comes under the POCSO act," Anil said in his complaint.  "What the VHP missed to enquire was how Kerala speed-tracked registration process using K-SMART which would never allow under-age marriages," an LSGD official said.

Officer at Poovar police station also confirmed that they have not received any complaints regarding the matter.

Monalisa gained popularity on social media during the Maha Kumbh Mela when photographs of her selling garlands drew widespread attention. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Monalisa arrived in Thiruvananthapuram with Farman and approached the police, stating that her father, Vijay Singh Bhosle, had been pressuring her to marry a man of his choice. According to police officials, no case has been registered so far, as there were no allegations of physical abuse.