Bhawanipatna: Activists, officials and police on Saturday acted together and successfully prevented a child marriage that was about to take place in Kantesir village under Kesinga block on Monday.

Acting on a tip-off by Childline, a organisation on child rights, counsel of district child protection unit, members of district child welfare committee and Kesinga police visited the village to take stock of the situation on Saturday. They found that the family members of the girl were ignorant about the social and legal aspects of child marriage. Parents of the girl after counselling agreed to call off the marriage which was to be solemnized on Monday.

A source said that the marriage of a minor girl of Kantesir village was fixed with a boy of nearby Tahasir village. A social activist informed the Delhi based organisation, Childline, about the marriage. The organisation asked the district child protection unit of Kalahandi to take steps to stop the marriage.

Chairman of district child welfare committee of Kalahandi Ajaya Kumar Mishra told The Telegraph that parents of the girl agreed to call off the marriage after counselling.

Mishra said that parents of the girl gave in writing that they will wait till their daughter attained adulthood before thinking about her marriage. "They wrote a promise note which said that they will think about the marriage of their daughter only after she attains adulthood," Mishra said.

Counsel of district child protection unit Anshuman Babu said it was revealed during an inquiry in the village that the girl was only sixteen. "Her high school documents revealed that she was about 16-years-old. Her parents were completely ignorant that child marriage was a criminal offence. They were convinced and agreed not to go ahead with the marriage," Babu said.