Kolkota: In a rare incident, friends of a minor girl saved her from the trap of unwilling marriage in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district on Saturday.
The girl is a student of class IX, who was allegedly dragged into getting married against her wish due to financial problems in her family.
Her classmates noticed her absence from school for a few days and rushed to her house after finding out that she was getting married.
They demanded that she be allowed to return to school and get married only when she wished to.
Sensing trouble, the girl’s family secretly took the bride-to-be to the groom’s house through the back door. However, the group reached the groom’s house and threatened to launch a protest.
The panic-stricken family, in a bid to avoid trouble, handed her over to the agitating students, who then took her back to their school.
The courageous act of the students was praised by their school headmaster who concluded that the marriage was avoided only because of their determination.
The block development officer of Keshpur block, Dipak Kumar, said that her family has promised not to marry her off before she turns 18.