NATIONAL DESK: Dada has been beaten up for trying to stop the marriage of a schoolgirl in Kaliganj, Satkhira. At one stage, the children kicked him out of the house. However, in the end he could not stop the child marriage. The incident took place on the night of April 2 in Brajpatuli village of Bharashimla union of the upazila.

The schoolgirl’s grandfather has lodged a written complaint with various departments about the activities of his children.

The victim, Eshar Ali, 63, son of late Bahar Ali of Brajpatuli village, said in a written complaint that his daughter-in-law (eldest son’s daughter) was an 8th class student of Khanjia Secondary School. Her parents were trying to force her to marry against their will. On the night of April 2, Dada tied up his daughter-in-law while she was forcibly marrying an unidentified man from Chaltebaria village in the upazila. Her eldest son (schoolgirl’s father) Anarul Islam (38) and youngest son Monirul Islam (33) beat her up and kicked her out of the house. At that time, he ran away from home in fear and took refuge elsewhere. They later married the underage girl. Meanwhile, the old man has been homeless since the incident. He went to his house but the boys did not allow him to enter the house, the complaint said. In Kaliganj Upazila, which is recognized as the first child marriage-free upazila in Bangladesh, such incidents have caused a strong reaction among the conscious locals. Concerned quarters have demanded immediate intervention of the administration to take strict exemplary action against the perpetrators of child marriage.