An attempt of early marriage of a ten-year-old girl was foiled in Dumuria upazila on Monday evening due to timely intervention of upazila chairman Gazi Abdul Hadi and upazila women affairs officer Nazmun Nahar.
The girl was identified as Jony Akhter, daughter of Mahatab Sheikh, a butcher by profession at Katakhali village under the upazila. She is also a class five student of Dumuria Non-government Primary School.
Parents arranged the early marriage of the girl with a 22-year-old man of Jamira village under Phultala upazila whose identity could not be known.
On a secret information, Dumuria Upazila Chairman Gazi Abdul Hadi, also joint secretary of Khulna district Awami League, and women affairs officer Nazmun Nahar rushed to Katakhali village and foiled the early marriage of the girl.
Nazmun Nahar said we including police could not know the name of the man with whom marriage of the girl was supposed to take place.
As all guests invited to the marriage ceremony, including the marriage registrar and the matchmaker, left the place before we reached there, none at the village could tell the name of the groom, upazila chairman Gazi Abdul Hadi said.
According to the women affairs officer, the girl was shifted elsewhere from her parents' house early yesterday. 'We are closely watching movement of her parents to locate the girl's whereabouts', Nazmun Nahar said.