New Delhi: The Mahakumbh viral girl Monalisa once again headed into the news, months after marrying a Muslim man. An investigation from the Khargone Police in Madhya Pradesh revealed that Monalisa is a minor and booked a POCSO case against her husband, Farman.
Police have booked the husband, Farman, under sections related to criminal conspiracy and unlawful marriage under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
How do officials uncover Monalisa’s age fraud?
An official hospital record, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, claimed that Monalisa was born on December 30, 2009, making her age just 16 years, 2 months, and 12 days old at the time of the marriage. She got married on March 11 this year.
After coming into the spotlight during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Monalisa went to the Nainar Deva Temple in Kerala to marry her lover. Several temple administrators conducted their marriage and said that their ceremony was conducted on the basis of the ages mentioned in the couple’s Aadhaar cards.
Later, the officials also found out that the birth certificate registered at the Gram Panchayat office at the time of marriage was also fraudulent.
The birth certificate issued by the Maheshwar Municipality noted Monalisa’s birth date as January 1, 2008, which is two years earlier than what government records show. Later, officials ordered the local authorities to cancel Monalisa’s fraudulent document.
The commission also flagged that several political leaders were also involved in the marriage ceremony. Advocate Pratham Dubey, who presented Monalisa’s matter, claimed that CPI(M) leaders from Kerala and Popular Front of India members were involved in the marriage.
The Commission has summoned the Directors General of Police of both Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to its New Delhi headquarters on April 22. Officials also demand a progress report from state DGPs every three days until the case is resolved.