West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a sweeping administrative crackdown on child marriage and underage pregnancies on Monday, following the disclosure of alarming health data. According to figures obtained from the State Health Department, the state recorded nearly 60,000 institutional deliveries involving underage girls during the first six months of 2026. The data, covering the period from January 1 to June 30, has prompted the state government to initiate immediate, large-scale enforcement measures to curb the practice.
Addressing the media at Nabanna following a Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister emphasized that the administration would no longer tolerate the prevalence of child marriage, which remains a persistent social challenge in several districts. The government plans to utilize health records to identify cases of underage pregnancy and will launch house-to-house verification drives to hold those responsible accountable. The initiative marks a significant escalation in the state's efforts to address adolescent health and child protection, with officials signaling that legal and financial consequences will be strictly enforced.
Murshidabad Emerges as Primary Hotspot
The district-level data released by the state government highlights a stark geographical concentration of underage deliveries. Murshidabad district recorded the highest number of cases, with 12,847 institutional deliveries involving underage girls in the first half of 2026. This single district accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total cases reported across the entire state, underscoring the severity of the issue in the region.
Other districts also reported significant figures, with South 24 Parganas recording 4,178 cases, followed by Purba Bardhaman with 3,777. Malda and Paschim Medinipur were also identified as areas with high numbers of underage deliveries. These figures, while reflecting institutional births, are being viewed by the administration as a critical indicator of the underlying prevalence of child marriage, which has historically been a concern in these bordering and economically vulnerable regions.
Legal Enforcement and Accountability Measures
The state government has outlined a multi-pronged legal strategy to address the crisis. Chief Minister Adhikari stated that the administration would invoke the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against those involved in solemnizing or facilitating underage marriages. The government’s approach includes issuing show-cause notices to the husbands of underage girls, requiring them to produce valid documentary proof of their wife's age.
"If they fail to provide valid proof of the age, strict action will be taken," the Chief Minister said. He further warned that police would initiate criminal proceedings and make arrests in cases detected during the upcoming house-to-house drives. The government also plans to withdraw state and central welfare benefits from families found to be involved in child marriages, creating a direct financial disincentive for the practice.
Focus on Under-15 Pregnancies
Beyond the broader statistics, the government is placing a specific, heightened focus on pregnancies involving girls under the age of 15. The district-level data identifies 253 such cases in Murshidabad, followed by 86 in Rampurhat, 81 in Malda, 77 in Purba Bardhaman, and 75 in Uttar Dinajpur. These cases are being treated as severe child-protection violations, necessitating deeper scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding each pregnancy.
Officials indicated that the POCSO Act would be applied with particular rigor in these instances, as sexual relations with a minor constitute a criminal offense regardless of marital status. The administration is coordinating between the police, health departments, and local district administrations to ensure that every reported pregnancy involving a girl under 18 is investigated. This inter-departmental approach aims to bridge the gap between health reporting and law enforcement, ensuring that medical records serve as a catalyst for legal intervention.
Addressing the Broader Social Challenge
The latest figures arrive against a backdrop of long-standing concerns regarding child marriage in West Bengal. Government documents citing the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) from 2019-20 previously placed the prevalence of child marriage among women aged 20-24 in the state at 41.6 per cent, with Murshidabad showing an upward trend in prevalence. The current data from 2026 suggests that despite previous efforts, the issue remains deeply entrenched in specific districts.
The government’s decision to target the facilitators of these marriages—including priests and qazis—marks a shift toward addressing the systemic support structures that enable child marriage. By threatening imprisonment and fines for those who solemnize these unions, the state is attempting to disrupt the social and cultural mechanisms that have historically sustained the practice. The effectiveness of this crackdown will depend on the sustained coordination of district-level authorities and the ability of the state to provide viable alternatives for the affected families.
