Hyderabad Muslim girl's marriage to Omani national; NHRC asks AP Police for report

New Delhi, 4 October 2004
The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo-motu cognizance of the alleged marriage of a minor Muslim girl who belonged to a poor family from the old city of Hyderabad to an Omani national aged 53 years, which was reported by the media on 19 September 2004.
The news story reported that the marriage was managed by a broker. The Omani national, after spending 4 days in the city, took the girl to Mumbai. He left for Oman and handed her over to the broker. The broker pushed her immediately into flesh trade. It is alleged that the broker, who had arranged the marriage of the girl, had paid Rs.5,000/- to her parents and had allegedly collected Rs.7,000/- as his fees for arranging the marriage. Though the victim reportedly stated that she was a major and her marriage was performed with her consent but the police suspect that she was a minor and forced into marriage by her parents. The report further stated that the victim is holding a valid passport mentioning her date of birth as 10 December 1973.
The Chairperson, Dr. Justice A.S. Anand had directed that a copy of the news item be sent to the Director General of Police, Andhra Pradesh to look into the report and submit his comments within two weeks.
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