"Sympathy Not For Cops To Give": Himanta Sarma On Child Marriage Crackdown

"We will arrest at least 3,000-4,000 accused, and I think that will fulfil the objective of this demonstrative action," Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on the crackdown against child marriage

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told NDTV today the state government will not stop arresting people linked to child marriage. Assam's BJP government has launched an anti-child marriage crackdown and arrested hundreds of men across the state, leading to protests by their families for their release.

"The idea is not to keep them in jail. The idea is to show a demonstrative action that society is against child marriage. We have started a crackdown on child marriage and will continue it," Mr Sarma told NDTV while campaigning for the assembly election in Tripura.

On concerns over sole breadwinners of families being arrested, Mr Sarma said, "If in a case of murder, if the only breadwinner becomes an accused, will the police not arrest him? In our law, the word 'sympathy' can't be exercised by the police. 'Sympathy' can be exercised only by a court of law."

"The crackdown will go on till we achieve the objective of the demonstrative action. We have identified 4,000 cases and 8,000 accused, out of which some 4,000 are elderly citizens. We have let them go. But we will arrest at least 3,000-4,000 accused, and I think that will fulfil the objective of this demonstrative action," the Assam Chief Minister told NDTV.