‘Save me from marriage,’ 13-year-old Ranchi girl writes to school principal

Ranchi: A 13-year-old girl from Ranchi has written to the principal of her school to save her from being pushed into an arranged marriage.

Unable to convince her parents, Duli wrote to her school principal that she wanted to complete her education first.

Duli Hembrom’s parents have fixed her wedding on April 22.

“My parents have fixed my wedding on April 22. I do not want to get married,” Duli said in her letter.

Duli, a class 9 student, also reminded her principal about the oath that her school administers to each student at the time of admission.

“I took an oath at the time of admission that I will not get married before I turn 18. I do not wish to get married early,” Duli wrote.

Duli’s father Lachhu Hembrom has defended his decision to get his daughter married off early by saying child marriage was a ‘common’ phenomenon in their society and that it would be difficult for him to find a suitable match for a grown-up girl.

Child marriage is prevalent in Jharkhand, Bihar and Rajasthan, according to the annual health survey of 2010-11.