For the wrong crime: Theft case filed for underage marriage

Police say father of four-year-old agreed to marry her to an adult to settle a family dispute.

LAYYAH:

Kehror Lal Eisan police have registered theft and assault cases against 12 men accused by a villager of solemising the marriage of his four-year-old daughter to a 30-year-old man on a panchayat’s direction.

SHO Manzoor Khan told The Express Tribune that a decision on addition of sections on underage marriage to the FIR would be taken in the light of the findings of the investigation. The SHO said a stamped paper submitted by Elahi Baksh, father of the child, to the police was signed by him. This, he added, indicated that he had agreed to the panchayat’s decision about the child’s marriage to the nominated man. He said there was no need to prosecute the suspects for vani (marriage to settle a dispute) because the child was not married to settle a murder.

Elahi Bakhsh, a resident of TDA/79 village, however, said that he was forced into signing the document. He said the marriage was solemised at his house on Sunday, following a panchayat convened by one Ahmed Ali. He said the complaint he filed with the police stated that his child had been forcibly married to an adult at panchayat’s directives. He also accused the suspects of beating him and his family.

The panchayat was requested by Imam Bakhsh to deal with the alleged kidnapping of his daughter. Imam Bakhsh accused Elahi Bakhsh’s elder son of kidnapping the girl from his home in Dera Ismael Khan.  Both the boy and the girl have been missing for over a week.

Talking to The Tribune, Panchayat leader Ahmed Ali had defended the verdict saying that justice demanded that Elahi Bakhsh give his daughter in marriage to one of Imam Bakhsh’s son. “His (Elahi Bakhsh’s) son took away Imam Bakhsh’s daughter. I was bound by tradition to order the child’s marriage,” he said.

Nikahkhwan Saeed Ahmed said he was forced by panchayat men to solemise the marriage.

The paper submitted to the police stated that Elahi Bakhsh would pay Rs200,000 if at any stage he refused to send the child with Imam Bakhsh’s son.

The FIR mentions Sections 458 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) and 380 (theft in dwelling house) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2012.