Video: 5-year-old girl cries as she is forced to marry at mass wedding ceremony

Jaipur: Despite laws banning child marriage, a mass child wedding ceremony was organised in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh city. The ceremony was recorded on camera, showing young girls being married off forcefully.

The heart-rending video shows a 5-year-old girl crying inconsolably, as she is being forced to marry a 13-year-old boy by their families.

The child, dressed in red coloured bridal lehenga, is seen struggling to walk, as elders force her take the seven pheras.

Child marriage is illegal in India under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006.

In the video, many young girls can be seen getting married to young boys. According to reports, the mass wedding event was organised on the occasion of Ram Navmi.

A total of six child-marriages have been conducted in Chittorgarh over last two days.

On Wednesday, Rajasthan government issued directions to the district officers to check child marriages in the state, particularly in rural areas.

The directions were issued to the SP and district collectors asking them to set up control rooms, conduct inspections and rope in local employees of departments like social justice and empowerment, education, medical and health so as to get information about child marriages, a release said.

Printing press owners have also been directed to publish the date of birth of bride and groom and maintain copies of birth certificates in their record