Solapur Police Investigate 10 Cases of Child Marriage and Underage Hospital Deliveries
The Solapur city police have initiated a significant investigation, registering 10 cases related to child marriage and the delivery of underage pregnant women in district civil and private hospitals from 2024 to 2026. These cases involve spouses, relatives, and hospital representatives, highlighting serious legal and health concerns in the region.
Details of the Underage Deliveries and Police Findings
According to Solapur Police Commissioner M Raj Kumar, the underage pregnant women in these cases were between 16 and 17 years old at the time of delivery. Most had been married when they were aged 14 to 16 years. The deliveries occurred in two government and two private hospitals over the specified period. Commissioner Kumar emphasized that the marriages were primarily due to a lack of awareness about the law and the adverse health impacts on minors, ruling out forced marriage or human trafficking in these instances.
The police are actively investigating why relatives preferred specific hospitals for these underage deliveries and whether the hospitals or doctors were complicit in hiding the fact that the women were victims of child marriage. This probe aims to uncover any systemic negligence or intentional wrongdoing.
Expansion of the Investigation and Initial Triggers
In addition to the 10 cases, matters have been referred to police stations in Valsang (rural Solapur), Kolhapur, and Ambegaon (rural Pune) for further registration and investigation. The investigation was launched after police received a letter from the Mohol-based Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Samajik Sanstha, which cited an RTI reply from the Solapur Municipal Corporation regarding the treatment of 34 underage pregnant women at civil and private hospitals.
When questioned about civic health department alerts, Rakhi Mane, the chief health officer of the municipal corporation, stated that staff identified suspected underage pregnant women through ground surveys for institutional delivery. She noted that these women, often from poor and uneducated families, were reluctant to disclose where they sought treatment. The data was handed over to the police, with the 10 cases involving unreported medico-legal incidents at district civil and some private hospitals, not municipal facilities.
Legal Implications and Hospital Responsibilities
Commissioner Kumar clarified that medical centers performing deliveries without treating them as medico-legal cases and without informing the police are liable for prosecution, along with the families involved in child marriages. In the 10 cases, Aadhar cards clearly showed the women were under 18 at delivery, making it the hospitals' duty to report. However, doctors are not at fault if misled by relatives presenting identity cards with incorrect birth dates.
The police have invoked charges under the BNS, IPC, and POCSO Acts in the registered cases and have responded to inquiries from the Child Welfare Committee and the State Commission for Child Rights. In Solapur city, cases have been filed at multiple police stations, including MIDC (4 cases), Jail Road (3 cases), and Bijapur Naka, Salgarvasti, and Jodbhavipeth (1 case each).
