Tamil Nadu: Teen stops her marriage by walking into police station

A young teenage girl in Tamil Nadu has got social media buzzing. On Thursday, the girl Lakshmi reportedly walked into the Vepanapalli police checkpost near her village and told the police about her upcoming marriage and the fact that she was underage. The wedding which was supposed to be conducted on Friday, was then stopped.

According to a report in The Hindu, the Vepanapalli police took a written statement from her parents that they would not conduct the marriage. 

The girl's mother has stated that she earned only Rs 150 a day and getting Lakshmi married off would mean fewer mouths to feed at home. Lakshmi had dropped out of school after Class 6 and was working in a Coimbatore mill under the Sumangali Scheme for the last four years. She is said to have returned home just six months back. 

When Lakshmi was asked how she decided to go the police, she said that her friends had told her it was illegal to get married before the age of 18.

Lakshmi and her mother were reportedly at the office of the Chairperson of the Child Welfare Committee on Friday. The Child Welfare Committee in Dharmapuri plans to put her back in school and put her in a home, adds the report.