At least 431 persons, including two qazis, were arrested across Assam on Saturday for their alleged involvement or for facilitating child marriage, in a third such statewide drive by the police since February last year.

A police official said on Sunday evening that the arrests were made during a special drive after conducting a groundwork of six months based on information and complaints provided by various organisations and the district child marriage prohibition officer.

The number of arrests, 431, and cases, 345, is showing a “declining trend” since the drive against child marriage started due to the “vision of the chief minister (Himanta Biswa Sarma) to free Assam from the scourge of child marriage by 2026”.

The first drive in February last year had led to 4000 cases and 3400 arrests. The second drive in October last year saw the registration of 682 cases and 913 arrests, the police said.

The decline shows there has been growing awareness and fear of the law among the public about menace of child marriage. “The drive against child marriage is also contributing to the fall in maternal mortality rate and the infant mortality rate,” the police officials said.

The legal age for marriage in India is 18 for women and 21 for men.

In a post on his X handle on Sunday morning, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: ”#Assam continues its fight against child marriage. In Phase 3 operations launched on the night of Dec 21-22, 416 arrests were made and 335 cases registered. The arrested individuals will be produced in court today. We will continue to take bold steps to end this social evil!”

At least 68 persons were arrested from Dhubri district, 20 from Goalpara and 16 from Morigaon districts.

In the first round of the crackdown, 60 per cent of the arrested individuals belonged to the Muslim comunity, which make up for over 34 per cent of the state’s 3.2 crore population.

The police said the drive is not targeted at any religion.

Apart from the police crackdown to check underage marriage, the government is also taking other steps.

In August this year, the Assam Assembly passed the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages & Divorces Bill, 2024.

After the passing of the bill, chief minister Sarma had said that it was a “historic day in our effort to fight the social evil of child marriage” as the act will make it mandatory for registering marriages with the government without contravening the legal age of marriage of 18 years for girls and 21 years for boys.

Sarma had assured the Muslim community that marriages will be held as “per Muslim personal law and Islamic rituals” but the couples will have to officially register their marriages.

“We want to end child marriage and the role played by the qazis. Henceforth marriages will be registered by government officials, not qazis. We will incorporate amendments as and when required,” he had assured.