An Indian girl of eight is believed to have become the world's youngest
person to ever be divorced after leaving her 14-year-old husband.
Fatima Mangre was married off at the age of four by her father Anil in
Nakhi village, in the Shravasti district of India's northern state of
Uttar Pradesh in an arranged marriage with 10-year-old Arjun Bakridi but
the marriage was annulled four years later when the boy came to collect
his bride and her father Anil said he realized it was wrong to force
her to marry at such a young age of four.
He asid he wanted to wait till she was 18 before leaving.
He said: 'I finally realized that this practice of marrying off
daughters so young was wrong and that she should have a childhood, and
that it was my duty to provide that.
According to report, Arjun's father Dipak was unhappy with the decision,
and an argument broke out which resulted in Anil filing for divorce.
The state government of India's has called for an inquiry into the
incident. The probe was ordered after the New Delhi-based National
Commission for Women (NCW) member Nirmala Samant sent a letter,
demanding details of the divorce and threatening action against the
parents of the girl and the boy.
"This is a scandal, we need more details before taking action.
The girl's father must answer why he married her off at four years old
and the boy's father must answer why he agreed to such a marriage and
then went to demand the girl when she is barely eight years old," adding
that it was insensitive, controversial and objectionable.
However Fatima's father has already written to NCW, saying he should be
pardoned because he stopped his daughter from being taken away by her
in-laws.
'I have already admitted my mistake. Social pressures are high in our
village. But the marriage has been annulled. I have admitted it was
wrong to marry her off so early,' he said in a handwritten note.
He added: 'I now want to make things right. I want to give my daughter a good childhood. I will do everything to protect her.'
Meanwhile, the young groom's father Mr Bakridi has gone into hiding following the altercation.
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