Minor sold as bride in Rajasthan recounts ordeal

NAGPUR: After her mother passed away in September last year, 17-year-old Rachana (name changed) was left all alone in the world. Living in the notorious red light area of the city, she had no one to turn to. And just when she thought her life couldn't get any worse, it did.

Rachana was invited by a woman, who used to be her neighbour in Nagpur, to come to Kota in Rajasthan for a short visit. But what seemed like a helpful gesture was, in fact, a trap. Rachana was forced to marry a stranger after a sum of Rs 30,000 exchanged hands.

Girls like Rachana - mostly belonging to poor families - have become prime targets for rackets that traffic girls to various other states, selling them as prospective brides. The girls, lured by money or often without any knowledge, are compelled to marry in states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana where a skewed sex ratio has led to a serious want of brides. Traded as nothing more than commodities, the girls often live a life of abuse and hardship.

Rachana's is one such harrowing tale. Although she was recently rescued from her forced marriage, the scars of her ordeal with haunt her for a long time.

Rachana's mother had a room at the city's Ganga Jamuna. A couple of months later, in December, Sabrina (name changed), who was her neighbour at Nagpur, called her to Kota. Sabrina had kept Rachna at her relative's place in Kota.

"Sabrina took me to Kota to meet with strangers. They would speak in hushed tones. I always had a doubt on the way they interacted among themselves but couldn't understand what they were speaking," said Rachna. Sabrina had also taken away her mobile phone leaving Rachna helpless.

Rachana was later taken to Sultanpur where she was married off a poor family on December 22 last year. Rachna refused to accept the marriage from the beginning. She even fled from her in-laws' place shortly after the marriage. Rachna had landed in a police station in Kota but she was taken back to Sultanpur by her so-called husband.

"My in-laws feared that I might commit suicide and they would land in trouble. I was then taken to a social worker home in the village," said Rachna. The girl called up a saree shop in Nagpur from where she requested phone number of an electronics bazaar where she used to work. Rachna contacted her former employers seeking help. The employer informed about her to the relatives at home.

Virendra Mariyam, a neighbour, along with Rizwan Shaikh, Irfan Shaikh and Parvez Khan contacted social worker Nutan Rewatkar. She took the matter to deputy commissioner of police Kishor Jadhav of zone-III.

"The racketeers were alarmed after they learnt that my family members have approached police. Sabrina returned the money to the family where I was married and brought me back," she said.

Rewatkar said that she would try to rehabilitate the girl by resuming her studies and introducing her to any vocational courses. Rachana said that she isn't pressing charges against Sabrina as she wants to continue her studies and does not want legal hassles.

The Times of India 

Posted in: bride buying,bride trafficking in haryana,bride trafficking in india,Rescue