15-Year-Old Hangs Self After Being Forced to Marry Sister-in-Law

Coerced by his father to marry a woman 10 years his senior, the Mahadev hung himself on 11 December.

A class 12 student Mahadev Das took his own life in Bodh Gaya district on Tuesday, 12 December, hours after being forced to marry his widowed sister-in-law Ruby Devi (25). Coerced by his father to marry a woman 10 years his senior, the 15-year-old hung himself in Vinobha nagar on Tuesday, Indian Express reported.

Das left for home after the wedding rituals concluded at 5 pm, and hung himself with a towel at 7 pm, the police told Hindustan Times.

Das did not wish to marry a woman “who used to take care of him like her own children,” Mahadev’s father Chandreshwar Das told HT.

According to the Indian Express, while working at a shop, Mahadev’s elder brother, Santosh Kumar Das was electrocuted in 2013. Das’ father received Rs 80,000 as compensation after his eldest son’s death.

Ruby’s parents wanted the money to be deposited in her account. But her father-in-law had deposited Rs 27,000 out of the total amount, and had negotiated with Ruby’s parents to marry off Ruby and Mahadev in order to settle the matter.

According to the Hindustan Times report, Tekari subdivisional police officer (SDPO) Manish Kumar had ‘rebuked the Paraiya police over the child marriage’. As a result, the Paraiya police had lodged an FIR on 13 December. The names of nine attendees who were present at the wedding were also included as accused in the case.

Although no suicide note was found, the boy’s neighbours said he had resisted his family members but was forced to marry his sister-in-law. It is a case of child marriage and abetment to suicide.

Tekari subdivisional police officer (SDPO) Manish Kumar told Indian Exp

The wedding witnessed the presence of a large number of villagers. The Hindustan Times report had stated that ten people had signed a draft which was prepared to validate their marriage.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times, Indian Express)

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