Kerala HC Withdraws Police Protection for Kumbh Mela Viral Girl
The girl became an internet sensation last year after photographs of her selling rudraksha malas at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj went viral
The Kerala High Court has directed the police to withdraw the protection that had been provided to the "Kumbh Mela viral girl." The state government informed the court that the girl could not be traced, and that she could not be contacted either at her address or by phone. It also told the court that this had become a recurring pattern.
The controversy began after the Madhya Pradesh Police registered a case alleging that she was married before attaining the age of 18. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) stated that the girl is only 16 years old and that the birth certificate produced during the marriage last month was forged. It also directed the Madhya Pradesh Police to register a case against her husband, Farman Khan, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The girl, a native of Madhya Pradesh, had sought refuge in Kerala, claiming that her family opposed her love marriage with Farman, a native of Maharashtra. The couple got married in Kerala. The Kerala Police had earlier stated that she was a major and that the marriage was legally valid. However, the NCST has said that she was born on December 30, 2009.
The girl became an internet sensation last year after photographs of her selling rudraksha malas at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj went viral.
