On Monday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a crucial pledge that he would not allow child marriages in Assam as long as he is alive. He further issued a political challenge to his adversaries. “Hear me carefully, as long as I am alive, I will not allow child marriage to take place in Assam. I will not let this happen as long as Himanta Biswa Sarma is alive…I would like to challenge you politically; I will shut down this shop before 2026,” he stated in his assembly address.
On Friday, the State Cabinet approved the Assam Repealing Ordinance, 2024, aimed at abolishing the British-era Marriage and Divorce Act applicable to Muslims. Following the repeal of the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act 1935, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma remarked on Sunday that Muslim women in the state would be relieved from “torture and exploitation.” He further highlighted that the measure would contribute to curbing child marriage.
Addressing the media in Nagaon, CM Sarma stated that his government would launch another initiative against child marriage in the state after the Lok Sabha election.
“The torture and exploitation that have been ongoing against Muslim mothers for so long will be ended with this bill. The Prime Minister ended triple talaq. But in Assam, only because of this act, a Kazi would not have been at fault if he had registered the marriage of a girl below 18 years old and he had received bail from the court. Now, giving talaq will not be easy after the repeal of this act, and there will be no registration of marriage below 18 years old,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
The chief minister assured that many people who performed child marriage were arrested and sentenced to 10-15 years in prison. “After the Lok Sabha election, one more drive against child marriage will be conducted in Assam. I will completely end the issue before 2026,” he added.
AIMIM and other political parties have voiced criticism against the Assam Chief Minister for abolishing the Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act. AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi said, “Now, the BJP people have come, saying that they will bring reforms in Islam. No, you don’t want to bring reforms. You want to implement Hindutva. What is India’s culture? India is a country where people follow several religions, and some people are atheists. Thousands of languages are spoken here, not just one.”