West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announces a statewide crackdown on child marriages, citing nearly 60,000 institutional deliveries involving underage girls reported between January 1 and June 30, 2026. He says the government will use house-to-house efforts to identify underage marriages and pregnancies across the state and will apply strict legal provisions against those involved.
Multiple outlets report that Adhikari links the action to enforcement under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and the POCSO Act, with police directed to arrest offenders. The government also says it will withdraw welfare benefits for families involved in child marriages and issue show-cause notices requiring proof of a spouse’s age.
Outlets differ mainly in emphasis. The Times of India highlights the scale of the planned drives and the range of targets, including families, facilitators, and ceremony organizers. The Hindu focuses on the reported figure and the stated intention to make arrests and stop benefits to affected families. Free Press Journal adds details on Adhikari’s remarks about previous governance and provides district-level figures, including Murshidabad and South 24 Parganas.
