BANGLADESH NEWS
The High Court on Monday summoned the UNO of Meherpur Sadar upazila, the officer-in-charge of local police Station and two ward councillors to explain their role over an incident of child marriage in the area.
Shah Momin, upazila nirbahi officer of Meherpur Sadar upazila; Jahangir Alam, OC of Sadar Police Station; and Moniruzzaman and Abdullah Al Mamun, ward councillors of Meherpur pourasava; will have to appear before the court by 10:30am on May 29.
The court also issued a rule upon the government to explain why it should not be directed to punish the persons involved with the incident.
The HC issued the suo moto order following a report published on the daily Prothom Alo on Monday under the headline ‘Two councillors arrange child marriage’.
The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim passed the order after advocate Abantee Nurul of Ain O Salish Kendra placed the report before the judges on Monday.
According to the report, the guardians of an 11-year-old bride and a 13-year-old bridegroom had been hesitating to arrange their marriage as both of them are under age.
At last, the wedding was completed on Sunday under the supervision of the two ward councillors after they had taken the responsibilities to tackle the legal barrier, the report said.
Among the councillors, Moniruzzaman is the paternal uncle of the bride, it said.
Locals alleged that they informed the UNO and the OC to take action to stop the child marriage but they did not pay heed, the report added.
When the Prothom Alo reporter contacted, the UNO said he asked the OC to take action against the child marriage.
The OC however said police went there but could not do anything in face of the resistances from the councillors, the report said.
Both the families of bride and bridegrooms are residents of Bospara and Notunpara in Meherpur town.
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