Hyderabad: A 17-year-old girl approached a non-government organisation to stop her own marriage to her 34-year-old cousin M. Chennaih. The minor girl, a student of Narayana College, called the helpline number and stated that her parents were not listening to her and forcing her to get married.
She told the police, “I was very confused and didn’t know what to do. I requested a friend to help me and she spoke to her parents who gave the numbers of non-government organisations. I called them when my parents were not at home and informed about the forced marriage. They promised to rescue me.”
The 17-year-old girl is a resident of Charinagar in Shamshabad and was to be married on April 20 to Chennaiah at Mahbubnagar. DCP of Shamshabad P.V. Padmaja along with the volunteers rescued the girl and counselled the parents to stop the marriage.
The police intervened and explained to the parents about the will of the girl to study and how she must be encouraged.Anuradha Rao, a volunteer, explained, “We are going to follow-up with the girl for a few months as it is important for her to not be intimidated by the family members and give in to the marriage. Hence, after counselling by the police too, there is a need for follow-up.”
