Guwahati: A special court on Saturday sentenced a 30-year-old man to 25 years of imprisonment for allegedly abducting and forcibly marrying a 13-year-old girl in Assam’s Hailakandi district.

The accused has been identified as Bijoy Bin, a resident of Dholaisit village in Hailakandi.

The court of special judge Sanjay Hazarika sentenced Bijoy to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment under the POCSO Act. Under 366 IPC, he received five years of rigorous imprisonment, a total of 25 years.

In the medical examination of the victim, the special team found that the allegations are true and she went through sexual intercourse. Victim admitted that the accused abducted her and forcibly married her.

On January 18, 2022, a case was registered against Bin for allegedly abducting and forcibly marrying a minor following which he was arrested but later granted bail after a few months.

According to the family members of the minor girl, she had gone to a religious event in the nearby village on January 16, 2022, but did not return home.

The two days later, the family members found the minor girl at Bin’s house, and the girl said that were married, following which the family filed a complaint with the police, official stated.

A case was registered against Bin at that time based on the complaint from the family members under section 366 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for abducting and forcibly marrying the minor.

Meanwhile, on January 20, 2022, police arrested Bin and further registered cases under section 9 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act and section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against him.

During the hearing, five witnesses, including the charge police officer, recorded their statements, and a special team examined the girl.

Moreover, the court advised him to pay Rs. 10,000 each in both cases.

Assam government in recent months took strict actions against child marriage with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announcing a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy against such activities.