Kumbh Mela fame was 16; POCSO case against husband Farman Khan in NCST findings

BHOPAL: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has found that the Kumbh Mela viral star was not a major at the time of her marriage. The NCST has reportedly found that the girl was 16 then. Following this, a POCSO case has been registered against her husband, Farman Khan of Uttar Pradesh, at the Maheshwar police station in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh.

The girl belongs to the Pardi tribal community. The investigation team has found that the birth certificate issued to the girl by the Maheshwar Municipal Council is incorrect. The government medical hospital in Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, where the girl was born, records her birth date as 5:50 pm on December 30, 2009.

According to the new information, the girl was about 16 years, two months and 12 days old at the time of marriage. The investigation team has also asked the local administration to cancel the birth certificate issued earlier by the Maheshwar Municipality. The authorities have stated that her date of birth is wrongly recorded as January 1, 2008. The commission is preparing for strict legal action. On April 22, the commission has summoned the Director Generals of Police of Kerala and Madhya Pradesh to its headquarters in New Delhi.

The information about the girl's exact age came to light after a legal battle led by advocate Pratham Dubey, led by National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Chairman Antharsingh Arya. The Madhya Pradesh SC - ST Commission had reached Thiruvananthapuram to collect the marriage documents. The commission had come to the capital city to collect evidence on the complaint of her father that a minor girl had been abducted and married. The commission collected evidence at the Arumanoor Nainar Deva temple where the marriage took place. The commission had also examined the copies of the Aadhaar card used as a document to register the marriage, the application submitted by both parties requesting the marriage, and the marriage certificate issued by the temple.

The marriage of the girl belonging to Indore and her boyfriend Farman Khan was on March 11. CPM state secretary M V Govindan, Minister V Sivankutty, and A Rahim MP were present at the wedding ceremony. The couple went to Thampanoor police station to request the marriage to be held after their families opposed the marriage due to their different religious communities. Since she was in Kerala for the shooting of a film, the police summoned her father. However, he informed that he was against the marriage. The police then assisted in the marriage after she showed evidences of being a major.