West Bengal Chief Minister Announces Crackdown on Child Marriage Following High Underage Delivery Rates

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced on September 7, 2026, that the state recorded nearly 60,000 underage institutional deliveries in the first six months of 2026. Citing data from the State Health Department, the Chief Minister stated that West Bengal leads the country in both child marriages and deliveries before the age of 18. He attributed these figures to the legacy of the previous government.

To combat the practice, the Chief Minister warned that police action and arrests would be initiated under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The State Health Department will issue show-cause notices to offenders, specifically husbands, who must provide documentary evidence of adulthood within one month. Failure to do so will result in legal action by the Director General of Police. Additionally, the state government will terminate benefits from all Central and State government welfare schemes for these families, and action will be taken against the priests or qazis who solemnized the marriages.

District-wise data revealed that Murshidabad recorded 12,847 underage institutional childbirths, followed by South 24 Parganas with 4,178. These figures align with a September 2025 Sample Registration Survey report indicating that 6.3 percent of females in West Bengal married before age 18, compared to a national average of 2.1 percent. While the government focuses on legal enforcement, some experts argue that child marriage is a complex issue involving social pressure and elopement, warning that arresting husbands could further strain marginalized families.