In a dramatic Sunday-evening intervention, social activists and police prevented a child marriage at a prominent temple in the heart of Odisha’s capital, highlighting both the success of community vigilance and the worrying gaps that still allow such illegal ceremonies to take place.
Acting on a tip-off, workers from the Ruchika Samaj Mangal Sangathan reached near Sai Mandir in the Chakaisihani area around sunset. They discovered that a local minor girl had just been married to a 24-year-old man from Nayagarh and was about to leave for her new home. The district coordinator, Shibani Nayak, immediately directed the team — Harapriya Pati, Ajay Maharana and Ghanashyam Bhoi — to alert the area’s Child Marriage Prohibition Officer and the local police.
Thanks to swift coordination, officials intervened on the spot. The minor girl and the groom were stopped and safely returned to Chakaisihani instead of proceeding to Nayagarh.
While the immediate rescue was hailed as a victory, the incident has raised uncomfortable questions. Despite strict central and state laws declaring all places of worship child-marriage-free zones, the ceremony reportedly took place inside or near the temple premises. “The government has enacted several laws and made every religious place child-marriage free, yet this happened. We are now investigating under what circumstances the temple authorities gave permission,” said Dr Benudhar Senapati, Chief Executive Officer of Ruchika Samaj Mangal Sangathan.
He added that the organisation will file an FIR at Mancheswar Police Station to ensure accountability. Police have already begun an investigation, sources confirmed.
