Ranchi, June 30: Godda district administration today made a startling turnaround in its avowed promise to get to the bottom of the child bride controversy surrounding state BJP chief Tala Marandi's son with the officiating deputy commissioner deciding not to force a medical examination on the girl, explaining his rethink in typical bureaucrat jargon.

"If you carefully go through the provisions of Child Marriage Prohibition Act of 2006, a district magistrate or deputy commissioner has a limited role to play. He or she comes to the forefront only while preventing mass child marriages on special occasions like Akshay Tritiya. Otherwise, it is the job of the judiciary and district child marriage prohibition officer," argued deputy commissioner Rahul Kumar Sinha and deftly passed on the buck down the line.

Leaders of the Opposition Congress, JMM and JVM are furious, announcing their decision to raise the issue in the Assembly in the monsoon session beginning on July 22.

The Telegraph reported today how state BJP chief had been embroiled in a controversy for having allegedly got his son, Munna, married to a 10 year old schoolgirl on June 28, apparently after the intended bride spurned the family two days ago, citing the existence of "the other woman" who had alleged she had been sexually exploited by Munna.

"It is more than a case of a child marriage. It exposes how the state machinery is trying to shield a man who has also been accused of sexually exploiting a tribal girl only because he happens to be state BJP president's son," said Pakur MLA and Congress legislature party leader Alamgir Alam, adding that his party would raise the issue in the House.

Former chief minister and JVM president Babulal Marandi said the Godda episode exposed the double standards of the BJP. "On the one hand, the chief minister is busy raising slogans like ' beti bachao, beti badhao' while on the other hand his party president is involved in such shameful acts. The real culprits ought to be taken to task," he added.

Sinha who held a meeting with the district child welfare committee yesterday and formed an inquiry committee headed by Godda SDO Sanjay Kumar, went on to say today that he had done his bit by initiating the initial probe.

"I have also directed my district child marriage prohibition officer to take appropriate action. A first class judicial magistrate can also take suo motu action. Third parties, too, can approach the judiciary... the district administration ensures execution of judicial orders," he told The Telegraph, indicating that he would do no more than merely go by the book on the case.

District child marriage prohibition officer Ritesh Kumar admitted having received "certain directives" from the officiating deputy commissioner, adding that suitable action had already been initiated. At the same time, he argued that BDOs were responsible for preventing child marriages. "Taking action to fix culprits (in child marriage cases) is in their respective domain," he said, effectively passing the buck, yet again, to the BDO.

Boarijore BDO Vijay Prakash Munda said that he had asked the officer in-charge of the local police station to submit an inquiry report. "The marriage was solemnised in the Boarijore thana area, but the girl is from Lalmatia thana area. Officers in-charge of these police stations may need to talk to each other while preparing the report," he noted.

Tala Marandi reiterated the controversy was a ploy to malign him, and demanded that his daughter-in law's age be determined scientifically. "Why only my daughter-in-law, the real age of all tribals should be determined scientifically so that they can avail of the benefits of various welfare schemes," he said.

On a woman's accusation that his son Munna had tricked her into a sexual relationship and then dumped her, Tala Marandi questioned her motive. "Why didn't the girl approach traditional tribal heads and the local thana first before going to a court and the women's commission? Is it practically possible for a poor Santhal girl hailing from a remote village in Godda to do all these things on her own?" he asked, suggesting that she had been put up to it by political rivals.

"Some people are unable to accept that a poor Santhal like me is sitting on the state BJP president's chair. Hence, they have begun hatching conspiracies to oust me by hook or by crook," Tala Marandi argued.

Congress Godda district unit president Deepika Pandey Singh, who had taken up the issue with the state women's commission, alleged that the official machinery was trying to hush up the case. "But, we are not going to remain mute spectators. We will wait for a day or two and then approach the judiciary. A mass agitation programme is also being worked out," she said.