Kasaragod: The Child Marriage Prohibition Officer in Kasaragod has reported a child marriage to the First Class Judicial Magistrate, Hosdurg, and the District Child Rights Protection Officer, following an inquiry into a complaint that a 16-year-old girl was married in Padna panchayat on April 13. 

The alleged marriage took place at Azhikkal Juma Masjid in Edachakai Azheekal ward of Padna panchayat. The complaint, filed by NRI and social activist Sameer P K, said that Sabir, a 28-year-old man working in South Korea, married the minor girl from Mavila Kadapuram in Valiyaparamba panchayat. 

“The nikah was solemnised at Azhikkal Juma Masjid, where the bride’s father formally sealed the marriage contract with the groom through a handshake in the presence of witnesses,” Sameer told Onmanorama.

He alleged that the girl’s local mosque committee had earlier rejected the family’s request for the marriage twice, citing her age. However, the secretary of Azhikkal Juma Masjid, the groom’s mosque, facilitated the ceremony. The secretary, P K Thajuddin, is also a Padna panchayat member representing Edachakai Azheekal ward and the brother of District Congress president P K Faisal. 

According to the complainant, Thajuddin also heads a ward-level committee tasked with preventing child marriages. “The secretary of the bride’s mosque was also involved in the child marriage,” Sameer alleged.

Soon after the incident was reported to Childline, the groom reportedly left for South Korea.

The Child Marriage Prohibition Officer visited the mosque and recorded the statement of the cleric who conducted the ceremony. According to sources, he stated that he was compelled to perform the nikah. The officer also recorded the statement of the minor girl, who is learnt to have confirmed that the marriage had taken place.

However, officials did not recover documentary proof of the marriage. Sameer said no CCTV footage was made available despite cameras being installed in the hall where the nikah was conducted. “They may have destroyed documents, but there are eyewitnesses to the wedding, where the bride’s father entered into an agreement with the groom in the central hall of the mosque,” he said.

When contacted, Thajuddin denied the allegation and blamed political rivalry for the allegations. “Such a marriage did not take place. It was only an engagement. They will marry once the girl becomes an adult,” he said, adding that the groom left for Korea after he was questioned by the officials. 

There were no documents to prove that a marriage had taken place and the authorities were free to subject the girl to medical examination, he said.

Sameer, however, said that consummation was not necessary to establish a child marriage. Officials said statements have also been recorded from Abdul Salam, secretary of the mosque in the girl’s locality in Valiyaparamba.

With the assistance of Chandera police, officials seized CCTV cameras and the hard disk from Azhikkal Juma Masjid. However, no footage was found. Efforts are underway to retrieve visuals.

The incident of child marriage surfaced after a section of residents first wrote to Childline. Padna panchayat president and CPM leader P C Zubaida, who has publicly spoken about her own early marriage, said strict action must be taken against those responsible.

Leaders of the UDF in Padna and Valiyaparamba said they were unaware of the incident.

District Child Protection Officer Shiny Issac confirmed receiving the complaint. “We forwarded it to the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer,” she said. 

The prohibition officer, Biji P, told Onmanorma that the inquiry found that the child marriage had taken place and the bride was a minor. “We have submitted our findings to the First Class Judicial Magistrate, Hosdurg, and the District Child Rights Protection Officer,” she said.

Thajuddin questioned why no police case had been registered if a child marriage had indeed occurred. The Station House Officer of Chandera police station said action would follow due process. 

“The prohibition officer has approached the court. We will register a case once Childline submits its report to us,” he said.

Under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, a woman can marry only after attaining 18 years of age and a man after 21. Marriages below this threshold are void. Adults who perform, promote, or permit child marriages, including parents or guardians, face up to two years of rigorous imprisonment and/ or a fine of up to ₹1 lakh.