West Bengal girl prevents her marriage by dialling Childline; dreams of becoming nurse
Purulia (WB) (PTI): A timely phone call to Childline by a 15-year-old girl from a remote village in West Bengal's Purulia district helped the teenager prevent her marriage.
Purnima Lohar (name changed) from Kashipur area, a member of a local 'Kanyashree' club that creates awareness on social evils, knew well that 18 years was the legal age for getting married.
Lohar said she had also learnt about the ills of child marriage from Asha and UNICEF trainers during her frequent visits to an Anganwadi centre at Dobapara, 260 km from Kolkata.
A few months ago, upon realising that she could soon be a victim, too, the girl had quickly dialled 1098 and informed Childline that her parents were forcibly marrying her off despite her wish to continue studies and become a nurse.
"As soon as I called Child Helpline, someone sought my name, address and other details. Administrative and police officials then visited my home and persuaded my parents not to marry me off as I was a minor," Lohar told PTI at an anganwadi centre in Kashipur.
Asked if parents were angry with her move, she said, "At first, they were upset, but after the officials explained to them why a minor girl shouldn't get married, they allowed me to continue my studies."
Lohar said she wanted to become a nurse and serve humanity.
"My father lost his job during the COVID-induced lockdown and considered me a liability for the family. But now, he understands that a daughter is an asset," she said.
UNICEF Child Protection Officer Swapnodipa Biswas said the organisation has formed child protection committees at block and village levels in Kashipur, Jhalda and other parts of Purulia district to prevent child marriages.
Children are also being made aware about menstrual hygiene and reproductive and sexual health among other issues, she said.
UNICEF is providing technical support to strengthen schemes such as the West Bengal government's flagship 'Kanyashree' to curb social evils such as child marriage.
It is also helping the district administration with the formation of 'Kanyashree' clubs to help reduce child marriage in 12 districts of West Bengal including Purulia.
Kanyashree clubs are groups formed in schools and other institutions to generate awareness among girls about health and other issues pertaining to them. The girls then spread the same message in the neighbourhood.
In the National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS), conducted in 2015-16, it was found that the rate of child marriage in Purulia district stood at 43.7 per cent.
It came down to 37 per cent in NFHS-5 (2019-21), Biswas noted.
It is because of these girl empowerment initiatives, many inform Child Helpline or the district administration or the police if their parents try to fix their marriage before they attain adulthood.
Hemant Pramanik, the joint block development officer of Jhalda-I in Purulia, said, "Upon receiving reports of a family trying to marry off a minor girl, administrative officials visit the household and dissuade the members from doing so."
Another district official said that the administration prevented two child marriages during the COVID-induced lockdown.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
