Keonjhar: The marriage of a minor girl was stopped by joint intervention of child rights personnel, activists and police in Toranipokhari village in Dhenkikote police limits of the district.

As it was a case of child marriage which is unlawful, the marriage was stopped midway. The parents of the groom and bride were told not to solemnize the marriage. Initially they were reluctant as they were not aware of the legal provisions which bar marriage of minors. Later they relented and the marriage was prevented. The parents of the groom and bribe agreed to wait till the girl attained marriageable age, said the child development project supervisor, Binapani Nayak.

The groom was 28-year-old and was legally eligible to marry while the bride was hardly 13-year-old. Both the groom and bride were from the tribal community. Child marriage is quite revelant in tribal communities. The rate of these marriages have come down in the recent past as tribal people have been sensitised about the adverse effects of such marriages, Nayak said.