3 minor marriages stopped

DHARMAPURI: Three minor marriages were stopped here on Tuesday night.According to sources, acting on a tip off that three minor marriages were scheduled for Wednesday, collector R Lilly ordered the officials concerned to initiate action. A team then rushed to Pattadharankottai and advised the parents of a 16-year-old girl against getting their daughter married. They also stopped the marriage of a 16-year-old girl in P Kollahalli and a 17-year-old in Periyampatti. Later, the girls’ parents submitted an affidavit to the Collector, promising not to get their kids married off until they turned 21. Sources said, 118 child marriages have been stopped in the district in the past eight months.