Patna: Timely intervention by district officials helped stop a child marriage from being solemnised in Patna City area on Thursday.

Fifteen-year-old Pinky (name changed) was to get married in Ambedkar Colony under Sultanganj police station on Thursday. But word reached the Patna City divisional office through Child Line, an NGO, 10 days ago.

Thereafter, a written note was forwarded to the officials concerned stating a child marriage was scheduled to take place in the Patna City locality on February 8.

Acting on information provided by Child Line, Patna City sub-divisional officer (SDO) Rajesh Kumar Roushan sent Rajyalaksmi, a magistrate, to the bride's house on February 7, to try and persuade her family to stop the marriage as the same was illegal and could invite action. On Rajyalaksmi's persuasion, the family agreed to not go for the marriage.

But despite the assurances, wedding preparations were going on in full swing at the bride's house on Thursday. The "baraat (groom's party)" was expected to arrive from Motihari in the evening.

On getting information, the SDO rushed to the bride's house with a police team led by Sultanganj police station-in-charge and once again tried to stop the marriage by threatening the family with dire consequences if they went ahead with the wedding. After much persuasion, the bride's father was taken to Sultanganj police station where he gave an undertaking saying he will not go ahead with the marriage.

On receiving the undertaking, the SDO and other police officials retreated from the site. Notably, the state government has been relentlessly campaigning against child marriage and dowry for the last few months under the leadership of chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Just three days ago, on Monday night, the police had landed at a mandap and saved another 15-year-old girl from becoming a bride in Katihar's Phulwaria village.

A local activist's intervention helped stop Dipa Kumari from being married off to a 31- year-old man from Uttar Pradesh. The girl and her mother were taken to a police station for interrogation. In her statement, the girl accepted her parents were forcibly marrying her off and even provided her Aadhaar card as proof she was 15. Neither the girl nor her mother mentioned it but some residents even alleged that the groom had given Rs 20,000 to the girl's parents.